New flood walls for Morpeth?

Later this month the Environment Agency will present two options for a flood alleviation scheme — either new flood walls for the town, or a combination of new flood walls with one or more storage areas upstream to hold back water in times of flood.

These options were identified as technically, environmentally and economically viable after considering a wide range of measures. A third alternative, for upstream reservoirs alone, has been ruled out as providing insufficient protection without being combined with flood walls in the town.

Both of the two preferred options would be complemented by improvements to culverts in Morpeth. Increasing the culverts' capacity should reduce the risk of flooding from Cotting Burn, Church Burn and Postern Burn.

For the flood walls option, existing flood walls could be raised or new ones built. Possible locations for new walls include at High Stanners, between properties and the River Wansbeck; behind properties on Mitford Road which back onto the river; and on the East side of the river between Oldgate and Elliott bridges.

The construction of one or more upstream storage areas would lead to a drop in height of the proposed flood walls and three possible sites have been identified — Rivergreen Mill, Mitford Hall and Low Angerton.

Work by the Environment Agency to improve flood defences had begun almost ten months before the devastating floods of last September, and since then the scheme has been made even more of a priority.

The scheme is complex but steps have been taken where possible to speed up the work programme and four months has been trimmed off the planning stage. It is hoped that further time can be saved during the construction process, which is due to start in 2011.

More details will be on display at St James' Community Hall, Morpeth, between 3pm and 8pm on Wednesday, April 29, when maps and artists' impressions of the proposals will be on show. Environment Agency staff will be on hand to answer questions and explain how and why the two options were chosen.

Findings from the event will be presented during further public consultation during late Summer, when residents will be able to comment further on specific points, such as access and amenity improvements, information boards and the choice of finishes.

"We are urging everyone to come along to the event and give us their comments," said Flood and Coastal Risk Manager Ian Hodge.

"It is really important for us to find out what the people of Morpeth think about the proposed options so that we can shape our plans to meet the needs of the community."

The Environment Agency has also been taking steps to reduce flood risk to Morpeth between now and the scheme's anticipated completion in 2013. These measures include collecting flood data to help to improve flood models, carrying out detailed inspections of watercourses in the town, and improving the flood warning system.

Since September, operations delivery staff have cleared debris from river channels and banks, and carried out emergency repairs to existing flood defences. And within the past month, an evacuation route has been constructed to help residents in the High Stanners area to reach higher ground and obtain help if similar flooding was to happen again.

The Environment Agency also has been working with Northumbrian Water and Northumberland County Council, and its predecessors, to identify ways of reducing flood risk from surface water and to ensure any flood scheme does not increase the risk of surface water flooding.

The flooding experience by Morpeth last September was the most severe ever recorded for this location, with more than three times the long-term average rainfall for the whole month — more than 150 millimetres — falling on the town in less than 48 hours. The normal monthly average rainfall is 50 millimetres.