Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester Flood Partnership

Greater Manchester is one of the country’s most successful city-regions. Home to more than 2.8 million people and with an economy bigger than that of Wales or Northern Ireland.

Greater Manchester Partnership brings together Flood Risk Management Authorities and other organisations who have an interest in or responsibility for flood risk management.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is made up of the ten Greater Manchester Councils (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan) and the Mayor, and co-ordinates the Region’s regeneration, economy and transport priorities.

The partnership works closely with GMCA which is run jointly by the leaders of the ten Greater Manchester councils and the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, and works with other local services, businesses, communities and other partners to improve the city-region.

Further information can be found at https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/

Click here to see our interactive map and search for schemes, groups and events going on in your area.

istock.com/SAKhanPhotography / Canal at Castlefield basin, Manchester

The information on this page has been provided by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Last updated: June 2019

Flood Risk in Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester (GM) consists of a complex hydrological network that interlinks all of the ten authorities, intersecting four river catchments; Irwell, Mersey, Douglas and Glaze Brook. The Irwell and Mersey catchments account for 78% of the total area, with the Irwell, Mersey and Glaze catchments draining into the Manchester Ship Canal. Together the four catchments cross county boundaries incorporating parts of Lancashire, Derbyshire and Cheshire, as well as Greater Manchester.

There are over 50,000 properties at risk of flooding 1 in 100 yr from main rivers in Greater Manchester with 30% located in Salford followed by 20% and 15% in Manchester and Wigan respectively. The remaining 35% of ‘at risk’ properties are distributed fairly evenly across the remaining districts of Bury, Bolton, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Oldham with areas of high concentration of risk affecting more vulnerable areas such as Littleborough, Radcliffe and Salford.

Approximately 10,800 properties are protected by flood defences in GM including assets built and maintained by the Environment Agency (EA). A large majority of these are from the EA’s work in clearing debris screens to prevent blockage of historic culverts across South Manchester (5,800) with the remainder from formal assets such as walls, embankments, control structures and pump stations at key locations such as: Salford flood basins, Ramsbottom, Mersey flood basins at Sale Ees, Didsbury and Timperley, Roch at Rochdale & Littleborough and Bedford PS and Lilford flood basin in Leigh, flood gates on the Etherow in Tameside and walls at Cringle Brook in Fallowfield. Approximately £2.9m is spent each year on maintaining EA assets in Greater Manchester.

Within GM, the current EA Flood Risk and Costal Management programme (2019 – 2021) identifies both surface water (led by Local Authority/other RMA) and fluvial (main river, led by Environment Agency) capital schemes. For projects yet to be delivered, capital costs are estimated to be in the region of over £98 million to protect approximately 2,762 properties. The longer term programme has identified further schemes in Greater Manchester to protect over 777 properties at a cost of £6.1 million.

Further information on flood and coastal erosion risks in your local area can be found on the Environment Agency’s website and your local Council’s website.

Greater Manchester Partnership Flood and Water Governance

Strategic – The Greater Manchester Flood and Water Management Board (FWMB).

The GM FWMB has been established to provide strategic governance and direction for delivery of flood and water management across GM. Led by the GM Planning Officer’s Group (POG) it includes other risk management authorities (RMAs) and local partners to create a strategic body covering spatial planning, climate change, drainage and flood infrastructure, and emergency planning. It is directly accountable to the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA’s)/GMCA’s Wider Leadership Team, enabling a decision making route to the North West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (NW RFCC).

Chair: Mark Robinson, Assistant Director (Economy), Rochdale Council.

The NW RFCC is one of 12 RFCCs in England. RFCCs were established under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, to bring together the authorities responsible for managing flood and coastal erosion risk (Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authorities and water and sewerage companies).

The GM FWMB provides a working interface with the NW RFCC and a basis for ensuring that GM maximises the potential to contribute to regional policy and practice and secure resources for delivering flood risk management priorities through Flood Defence Grant in Aid (GiA), Local Levy funding and partnership projects, such as with United Utilities and the Environment Agency as part of their capital investment programmes.

There are three Councillor Representatives who are members on the Greater Manchester Flood and Water Management Board and attend the North West RFCC on the behalf of the Greater Manchester Partnership.

Tactical – Greater Manchester Flood Risk Officers Group

Lead officers from all ten GM Local Authorities and partner organisations.

This group addresses priority flooding incidents, co-ordinates delivery, shares skills and establishes priorities and actions to facilitate joint working. The group manages the delivery of flood risk management priorities and working initiatives as directed by the Strategic Partnership Group.

Chair: Francis Comyn, Service Manager Strategic Planning, Rochdale Council.

Flood Risk Management

To view the Environment Agency’s five year flood and coastal risk management asset maintenance programme, click here. For more details on the programme, click here.

On this page you can find information on flood risk management schemes for areas within Greater Manchester.

Common Lane, Leigh (Community update)

Click here to download the Environment Agency Flood Risk Newsletter for Common Lane (January 2023)

Hindley (Proposed Scheme)

For more information on the Hindley Proposed Flood Risk Management scheme, visit our dedicated scheme page here.

Prestolee (Community update)

Click here to download the Prestolee and Stoneclough – Flood Risk Management Scheme Newsletter (December 2020)

Radcliffe and Redvales (In progress scheme)

For more information on the Radcliffe and Redvales Flood Risk Management scheme, visit our dedicated scheme page here.

River Irwell at Kearsley (Proposed Scheme)

For more information on the River Irwell at Kearsley Proposed Flood Risk Management scheme, visit our dedicated scheme page here.

Rochdale and Littleborough (In progress scheme)

For more information on the Rochdale and Littleborough Flood Risk Management Scheme, visit our dedicated scheme page here.

Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme (FCRIP)

The Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme (FCRIP) consists of 25 projects whicwill address current and future flood risks, from the sea, rivers, groundwater and surface water. The programme will learn from doing. They will share lessons widely. The evidence gathered through this 6 year programme will guide future approaches in flood and coastal risk management.

Click here for more information on the ‘Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes’.

Roch Valley neighbourhood flood and climate resilience programme

The Resilient Roch Project

The Roch Valley neighbourhood flood and climate resilience programme will produce neighbourhood flood and climate resilience plans for two key neighbourhoods in the Rochdale borough – Littleborough and Wardleworth.

The project will work closely with local communities to encourage, enable and support participation in water conservation, property flood resilience, green infrastructure management and activities to raise awareness of, improve and celebrate the Roch Valley as an asset for flood risk management and a place for enjoyment, health and well-being.

The following are involved in this project:

North West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee
Rochdale Borough Council
Flood Re
National Flood Forum

Please click the following links for more information:

Rapid Response Watercourses

Some watercourses are at risk of flooding extremely quickly from intense rainfall. Check the signs and whether you are at risk by visiting our ‘Rapid Response Catchment’ page and using our interactive map.