Sittingbourne’s underground streams are not likely to roar back into life and flood the town, according to a local historian.

Michael Peters’ reassuring message follows recent reports that small streams or bournes on which many UK towns were built could be reinvigorated by the storms.

Mr Peters, co-author of the latest Sittingbourne High Street history book, said the town centre stands between two streams.

One runs down Ufton Lane, and then northwards under the railway towards the site of the old paper mill, whose pond it used to serve.

The main one is the Bourne beside which Mr Peters said the origins of the town were constructed, hence its name. It flows down Bell Road and Crown Quay Lane into the creek

He said: “In bad weather until about 40 years ago, water used to flood the crossroads where the High Street meets East Street.”

The problem ceased when the water was culverted, but before then, flooding took place regularly when there was heavy rainfall.”

Mr Peters, 74, who is also a member of Sittingbourne Heritage Museum’s local history group, said the sodden roads were caused by the Bourne beside around Crown Quay Lane lying as a ditch “being left open to the four winds”.

Before the improvements, one of the sites susceptible to flooding was the old cinema at the corner of the High Street.

According to Mr Peters, after it was built in 1937, its position over the stream meant bad weather left it under several inches of water.

He claims there may be another reason, unrelated to weather, as to why the bournes babbling away beneath our feet will never rise again.

“Perhaps the area is no longer allowed to flood because Swale council has offices there,” he said.

“Lo and behold, since they moved into that office in the 1970s, there hasn’t been any flooding there, which is pure coincidence, I’m sure.”