THE devastation caused by flooding in Northwich must never be allowed to happen again council chiefs have been told, but one councillor accused the authority of being ‘missing in action’.

Cheshire West and Chester’s ruling cabinet received a report into the impact of Storm Christoph on the borough in January last year which made a range of recommendations.

The 253-page Section 19 Flood Investigation outlined the storm’s impact on 28 areas across the borough which impacted 436 residential and commercial properties, of which 195 experienced flooding, with 141 having to be evacuated.

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. Northwich and surrounding areas had previously been flooded in 2019.

The new report into Storm Christoph looked at the actions of the relevant risk management authorities (RMAs) – the council, United Utilities, the Canal and River Trust and Environment Agency – all of which have different roles and responsibility when it comes to flooding.

It found that flood defences were not breached but that flooding was due to overflowing drainage systems.

It said: “Northwich town centre did not flood as a result of the River Weaver overtopping the town’s flood defences.

“Therefore, it is likely that flooding occurred due to the conveyance and capacity issues within the highways combined and surface water systems.

“During Storm Christoph, river levels on the Weaver in Northwich town centre were the highest ever recorded. The defences held the main river back but the highway and combined drainage systems were surcharged and experienced backing up from river-locked outfalls.”

The report said mobile pumps will again be deployed while longer term solutions are sought, with expert modelling of the problem being undertaken by consultant Atkins Ltd with an expected completion date of April 2023.

The council is also considering installing gully sensors within specific gullies in Northwich town centre at locations where there have been surface water flooding issues previously.

Other recommendations include:

  • Construction of a sump on London Road from which temporary pumps can be operated.
  • Highway drain maintenance for School Way and Priory Lane
  • Continue the rollout of replacing poor condition highway and surface water gullies in London Road, a project which is partially complete
  • Undertake highway drain maintenance for School Way and Priory Lane
  • For the council to increase its gulley emptying frequency for the area

But speaking at the meeting, Marbury councillor and Conservative group deputy leader Cllr Lynn Gibbon accused the council and Environment Agency of being ‘missing in action’.

She told members: “This long-awaited report, 20 months after Storm Christoph and 10 months after the interim report, shows one of the Environmental Agency and the council missing in action, unable to respond quickly to communities in need.”

She added: “Interim temporary pumps will continue at £290,000 per annum with another £280,000 in the offing for the coming year. Half a million down the river without anyone being able to provide a cost for the new pumps for a permanent solution.

"No guarantees from United Utilities that this will be in their annual management plan for next year.”

Northwich Witton Cllr Sam Naylor told members: “Never again do we want to see our businesses, residents or Church Walk Primary School suffer so badly.

"But I want to allay any – what I consider false – perception that we have not worked hard enough to address flood issues.

"I do have confidence in what many of us have done and continue to do to prevent our town of Northwich from flooding again. There is still work to do but I welcomed this report.”