Teams of Environment
Agency officers are out on the ground across
the North East talking to residents and
gathering more information about the weekend’s
floods.
Officers will be using
the details to build up a better picture
of the flood issues in the region which
will help them to manage flooding in the
future.
One Severe Flood Warning,
24 Flood Warnings, and 27 Flood Watches
were issued by the Environment Agency for
the North East between Thursday and Sunday.
On the River Wansbeck
catchment on Friday, around 70 millimetres
fell in places - just over a month’s rainfall
in one day. The longterm average for July
is 69 millimetres. In coastal areas such
as Peterlee, around 100mm fell on Friday,
compared to the long term average for July
of 52mm.
The Severe Flood Warning
was issued for Millburngate in Durham at
3.30am on Saturday, and some commercial
properties were later flooded.
Phil Marshall, team
leader for the flood risk mapping and data
team, said: “The information we are gathering
will be very helpful in building a picture
of where and when flooding can happen in
the future. We can then use this to help
warn and inform residents more accurately.”
In Morpeth, Environment
Agency and local authority staff worked
as part of a multi-agency response to prepare
the town for potential flooding. They then
kept a vigil at Morpeth until the river
peaked at midnight on Friday, when the rising
waters halted after riverside walkways flooded.
This followed a Flood
Warning, issued at 2.30pm on Friday for
the low-lying areas of the town.
Phil Welton, Environment
Agency site controller at Morpeth on Friday,
said: “We issued a precautionary flood warning
for Morpeth Riverside based on the weather
forecasts. This was to give the emergency
services and residents as much warning as
possible for any potential evacuation.”
On the River Gaunless, an Environment Agency
dam successfully protected more than 200
properties downstream in West Auckland and
South Church, following a Flood Warning
issued on Friday afternoon.
The £10 million
Gaunless scheme was completed in 2004 and
holds back the river flood waters, then
gradually releases them over a few days.
Environment Agency staff were on site to
monitor the dam and to clear the trash screens
which collect waterborne debris.
At Crook in County Durham
12 properties flooded near the confluence
of the Beechburn Beck, also known as the
Crook Beck, and Howden Beck. These watercourses
respond very rapidly to heavy rainfall,
and flood warnings are not possible.
In the Rothbury area
on the River Coquet, Flood Warnings were
issued for Thropton late on Friday evening,
and also early on Saturday morning for Brinkburn
Weldon and Felton, and Rothbury.
Around 80mm of rain fell on Friday on the
River Coquet at Linbriggs, near Rothbury.
The longterm average July rainfall for this
location is 57mm.
Staff were on site in
Rothbury to monitor the river levels and
help with sandbagging, which successfully
protected 10 properties. The garages of
four properties flooded at The Maltings
in the town, and officers have been talking
to residents about what happened.
Recent Environment Agency
work on the Coplish Burn in Rothbury helped
to reduce the risk of flooding to the town.
The £500,000 scheme is still being
improved and includes replacing or strengthening
more than 200 metres of culvert, raising
the pumping station at Riverside to ensure
it can be used during a flood, and improving
the trash screens so they filter out more
debris.
Phil Marshall said:
"We worked round the clock to minimise
the risk of flooding in Rothbury and we
are pleased that our timely flood warning
to residents, and our recent work to widen
a problem culvert helped to limit the damage.
However we know that flooding is devastating
for anyone who is affected by it, and it
is only by working together and exploring
the different options available to communities
that we can meet future flood challenges.”
Rothbury also has an
existing flood defence which worked over
the weekend, and a flood warning service
is available to 72 properties at risk. A
total of 41 properties are signed up so
far.
Residents across the
region are urged to find out whether they
could be at risk of flooding and eligible
for a warning by ringing Floodline on 0845
988 1188.
