A new flood risk strategy plan has just been approved, replacing the now outdated strategy plans of 2013 and flood risk plans of 2016.

Prompted by Storm Claudia’s November 2025 havoc - described as the worst flood in a generation - Monmouthshire County Council’s cabinet’s new plan was drafted last year and reviewed following November’s flooding “with the public also consulted”.

Aftermath of Storm Claudia

The plan divides the county into nine areas, based on river catchments. The council is responsible for the risk from surface water, groundwater and smaller rivers according to Councillor Catrin Maby, the Labour cabinet member for the environment.

While the responsibility for managing flood risk rests with Natural Resources Wales, (NRW) , Cllr Maby confirmed the council would “continue to support them in their work to reduce flood risk from these and other main rivers across the county.”

The six year plan also addresses flood prevention such as how land management can be used to hold water.

However, residents of Skenfrith, an outlying village on the banks of the Monnow, know how long six years can be.

In 2021, Helen and Rod Wyatt, whose home flooded in October 2019 and 2020 following prolonged heavy rainfall said: “Some of the houses in our beautiful village flooded again for the third time in 14 months” and coined the phrase “The forgotten village of Skenfrith,” after pleas to clear the blocked bridge were slow to be acted on.

Then the named storms left their mark.

In Feb 2020, Storm Dennis saw 22 properties flooded, in 2024, Storm Bert saw significant flooding again and finally, the big one. Storm Claudia in Nov 2025, saw all properties in Skenfrith flooded and went on to wreak havoc in Monnow Street that November night.

Residents in the village have repeatedly raised concerns about the frequency and severity of flooding.

A public meeting in April 2022 involved NRW where the issue moved beyond emergency response towards developing a formal flood-defence scheme.

However, in September 2023, residents were told that work was being delayed because of significant financial pressures, with the project put on hold until at least April 2024.

In November 2024, Storm Bert hit.

Following Storm Claudia in 2025, Residents directly questioned the agencies at a meeting in the village hall called by MP Catherine Fookes and pressed for meaningful action, even creating their own flood fund to try to resolve the crisis themselves.

NRW’s conclusion however is that the only cost-effective route is individual 'Property Flood Resilience' measures at a cost of £1.3 million and promised to look at each property in 2026 so bespoke flood barriers and pumps could be installed according to the needs .

NRWs Skenfrith Flood Risk Management Scheme is advancing through the appraisal stage, but the long-delayed project has been prioritized to move forward with a projected project completion window of 2030/31.

Their current Flood Risk Management Plan (2023-2029) however identified Monmouth as one of the five communities across South East Wales where there is predicted to be the biggest change in danger by 2120, less than 100 years away.