The Flood Hub

Environment Agency News Release

 

Recovery operations are fully underway to help communities in the North West and Derbyshire recover from severe flooding seen in recent weeks.

Teams from the Environment Agency (EA) and partners such as the Canal & River Trust have been on the ground in affected communities, including Whaley Bridge, since the first bout of heavy and persistent rain over the weekend of July 27^th and 28^th.

Community Information Officers visited towns including Poynton, Handforth and Bollington Mill and Whaley Bridge offering information and advice as well as signposting people to help by working with Local Authorities. Across the North West, EA staff are still protecting properties by making sure rivers are clear from blockages and ensuring our assets are ready to operate.

In Whaley Bridge, the Environment Agency have been working alongside the Canal & River Trust to monitor water levels of Toddbrook reservoir and supporting the community out on the ground. Site meetings have also taken place as part of the multi-agency response with a view to progressing permanent solutions to the repair of the dam.

Last week, (Wednesday, 14 August), the Environment Agency’s Hydrometry and Telemetry team installed a third monitor around Toddbrook Reservoir to measure water levels and better inform flood alerts and warnings. The monitors have been placed on the spillway, in the bypass channel and upstream of the reservoir in order to provide the most accurate data readings. The reservoir is now almost completely empty of water with over one billion litres of water having been safely drained out in the last two weeks.

Chris Wilson, Flood Operations Manager at the Environment Agency, said: “We are proud of the spirit and resilience our communities and staff have shown in their rapid, dedicated response to the awful weather we’ve experienced over the last few weeks.

“The focus now is on recovery. The Environment Agency’s flood assets protected thousands of homes and businesses from flooding but, sadly, some communities across the North West and Derbyshire did suffer from flooding and we need to help them recover as quickly as possible.

“We are doing everything possible to support our communities. Alongside our focus on Whaley Bridge, we are coordinating our field teams out on the ground in other affected communities. They have been out around the clock – doing the most we can do to help protect communities from the impacts of flooding.

“As well as being part of the significant major multi-agency response at Toddbrook reservoir, we have cleared tens of tonnes of debris from rivers in Poynton, Handforth, Rochdale and Mossley.  The dedication of our teams who are carrying out detailed assessments of our assets and rivers across the North West to ensure our communities are resilient is to be commended.”