THE devastation caused by flooding across Cheshire earlier this year has been laid bare in a new report.

Storm Christoph caused chaos across the county in January, with widespread damage to homes and businesses.

Northwich was particularly badly hit, with large parts of the town centre flooded and elderly and vulnerable residents at Weaver Court and Marbury Court care homes having to be evacuated.

Now a report due to go before Cheshire West and Chester’s Cabinet tomorrow (Wednesday) has revealed the extent of the impact.

It included:

  • 244 homes were affected
  • 92 commercial properties were affected, including 60 in Northwich
  • 152 properties were flooded
  • 128 people were evacuated
  • The council’s contact centre handled more than 1,300 calls about flooding
  • Affected residents were placed in emergency accommodation
  • There were a ‘significant number’ of road and bridge closures
  • The report said the cost to the council of responding to Storm Christoph totalled £487,000.

Northwich and surrounding areas had previously been flooded in 2019, with businesses and homes around the town centre, Sandy Lane, Weaverham and Lakeside Caravan Park in Winsford being hit.

The council set up a flood risk action group and a report on the 2019 floods was delivered to the cabinet in March this year.

The Storm Christoph investigation is ongoing and has had to be expanded, with uncertainty about who owns drainage and issues around land ownership causing complications.

The report said: “It is apparent that the extent of the flooding that occurred in 2019 and 2021 is far more complicated and wider in impact than first envisaged.

“The impact of flooding in Northwich Town Centre in 2021 was to a wider area than the flooding in 2019 and further investigatory work, in particular camera surveys, are required over this much wider area to assist with the investigation.”

“Following Storm Christoph, initially it was thought that there would be 15 separate investigations.

“However, following a study of the significant data following the event, this has increased to approximately 19 investigations.”

The report added that reducing the risk of future flooding was ‘critical’ to the ongoing regeneration and development of Northwich town centre.