£10m flood defence repairs near completion

A £10m package of flood defence repairs is almost complete, and a further £3m of funding has been secured, to make communities along the lower River Aire in Yorkshire more resilient to climate change.

The structures, including flood embankments and washlands, were damaged during heavy storms and flooding in 2019/20.

The latest repairs have been completed at Poor Bank near Gowdall where concrete blocks have been installed on the embankment of a reservoir to make it more resilient to erosion.

At Carlton bridge, similar steps have been taken to ensure the river bank is more resilient to flood water.

This week, work began at Chapel Haddlesey where a crane has been brought in to strengthen the flood bank with sheet piling. The work is expected to take five weeks.

Kimberley MacPherson, West Yorkshire operations manager at the Environment Agency, said: “Despite the challenges of the coronavirus and winter flooding during 2020/21, we have managed to deliver a £10m package of flood repairs to protect communities in the Lower Aire.

“The works were aimed at bringing our defences back up to their required standard of protection, so they can operate as designed during floods.

“Heavy storms damaged flood defences throughout the area in the winter of 2019/20 and this work ensures local communities will remain resilient to future flooding and climate change.

“I’m delighted we’ve been able to secure an extra £3m funding to continue this work for the Lower River Aire.”