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Phase 2 Rochdale seeks to reduce the high level of flood risk to the Rochdale town centre, Wardleworth community and surrounding residential areas bordering the River Roch and Buckley Brook. Historically, these communities have been flooded numerous times with significant flood events in 1991, 1995, 2008, 2015, 2019 and 2020. On the 26th and 27th December 2025, 324 properties were flooded in the area during Storm Eva.
Rochdale sits within the River Roch catchment which is characterised by a steep valley catchment and multiple tributaries which cause the River Roch to respond rapidly to rainfall with river levels rising quickly. The urbanised river valley has an industrial heritage with a legacy of modified channels, bridges, culverts and weirs which further exacerbate the flooding problem.
