Northwich’s flood defences put to test ahead of winter

The Environment Agency (EA) is leading what it calls a ‘large-scale training exercise’ in the town between 4pm on Sunday, November 10, until around 3am on Monday morning.

The exercise will see 100 metres of temporary defences erected and 14 flood gates closed in the town.

To begin, floodgates will close at Waitrose and the Dane Bridge, and temporary flood defences will be set up outside Wildwood restaurant and Odeon cinema.

The floodgates close in minutes and temporary flood defences can be put up in around 45 minutes.

The far end of London Road will also be closed and a viable alternative route provided.

At Dane Bridge, two layers of barrier will act as a channel to keep water in the River Dane instead of spilling over towards London Road and Watling Street.

Environment Agency staff putting up temporary flood defences in Northwich during a previous exercise (Image: Supplied) Pumps are currently in situ and will be tested on Dane Street.

The exercise to test the defences comes ahead of the wetter winter months, and provides an opportunity for routine inspection and maintenance of kit and drainage.

Mary-Rose Muncaster, EA operations manager for Cheshire, said: “Although we hope these defences won’t be needed in Northwich this winter, it’s important our teams are ready for whatever the weather has in store for us.

“We train all year round but, with the increased flood risk during the wetter months ahead, we want to make sure we are equipped to respond to incidents.

“These emergency response plans should give reassurance to residents in Northwich, but it is important to remember we can never fully protect against flooding.

“Residents should always prepare in advance for this by going online and signing up for free flood warnings.”

Northwich's £7 million Flood Risk Management Scheme was launched in June 2018 and aims to reduce the risk to about 400 homes and businesses in the town.

Councillor Karen Shore, cabinet member for environment, transport and highways at Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: “Northwich and many areas of our borough have been affected by flooding in recent years and we want to do everything we can to prevent flooding impacts now and in the future.

“We have been working with partners including EA throughout the year to prevent a repeat of further flooding damage occurring to homes and businesses.

“Our teams are supporting EA's important and large-scale exercise this weekend to test temporary and permanent flood barriers, which would be deployed in emergencies.

“We have a strong record of partnership working with agencies across the borough because it is vital all agencies can act swiftly to protect residents in the event of a flood in the future. 

“The exercise will allow EA to conduct routine inspection and maintenance of the defences, whilst also providing an opportunity to exercise procedures in conjunction with our partners.”

Residents can telephone the EA’s Floodline on 0345 988 1188 to find out what they can do to protect themselves and their property when flooding hits.