​Support for Radcliffe and Redvales residents affected by flooding to be given at multi-agency drop-in event

The Environment Agency and partners including Bury Council and United Utilities are urging residents and businesses in Radcliffe and Redvales, who may have been affected by the recent flooding, to attend a drop-in session on Thursday 27 February.

The event comes after heavy and prolonged rainfall, as a result of Storm Ciara, caused flooding in areas around the River Irwell catchment.

In Radcliffe and Redvales, more than 23 homes suffered from flooding but thanks to the quick thinking of Environment Agency contractors BAM Nuttall, who are currently constructing Phase 1 of the area’s £40m Flood Risk Management Scheme, around 100 properties and businesses were protected.

The construction team worked to plug gaps in the defences, to reduce the risk of flooding in Close Park, Bury and the surrounding area. BAM Nuttall also worked to infill the gaps at the end of Morris Street, by using 3 large excavators to shape approximately 400 tonnes of material into a 2.5m high temporary flood barrier. This held back approximately 1.5m of water from the River Irwell.

Through a combination of operating defences and assets, the Environment Agency were able to protect more than 12,000 properties and businesses and warn around 13,500 people across Greater Manchester in advance of Ciara’s arrival.

In the following days, Community Information Officers from the Agency also visited affected communities to help residents recover as quickly as possible.

The upcoming drop-in session, held on 27 February at Radcliffe Road Baptist Church from 4pm to 7.30pm, will provide further advice for those who have been affected by localised flooding as well as guidance about how to protect yourself and your property against flooding incidents in the future.

People will also be able to find out about the Environment Agency’s flood warning service, how they can write their own flood plan and find out the latest updates on progress for the Radcliffe and Redvales Flood Risk Management Scheme.

Staff from all attending organisations will be on hand to speak to anyone concerned about flooding and to provide leaflets and information on individual agency roles during an incident.

Andy Cameron, Senior Flood and Coastal Risk Manager with the Environment Agency said: “This drop-in session will provide a good opportunity to speak to different agencies, ask questions, raise concerns and find out about the support available to residents who have suffered from flooding. The key to recovering quickly and increasing our flood resilience is to listen to the people who experienced it first hand and learn from their experiences.

“Resilience is the key word when it comes to flooding and we would like to take the opportunity to highlight to residents of Radcliffe and Redvales and the surrounding area how important it is to be well prepared. We want people to be resilient and aware so they are ready to respond and able to protect themselves, their properties and businesses, as much as they possibly can, so that should flooding occur, they can recover more quickly.

“The aim of the drop-in event is to provide a one-stop-shop for the community to directly access the information and support they need to understand their flood risk. I would encourage everyone in the Radcliffe and Redvales communities to attend.”

Phase 1 of the flood defences, focused on Close Park and Morris Street, is expected to be completed by the summer.

Two planning applications have been approved for work under Phase 2 which comprises piled walls along the River Irwell from Hardy’s Gate Bridge to the Metrolink bridge at Warth. A third application for an embankment at Lower Hinds has been received and is now out for public consultation. Construction of the Phase 2 defences are expected to start in May 2020 and be completed by March 2021.

Bury Council is contributing £2 million towards the cost of the flood defences, and£150,000 of that is set aside to mitigate issues which have arisen for Radcliffe Juniors Football Club.

Councillor Alan Quinn, cabinet member for the environment at Bury Council, said: “Storm Ciara shows what can happen when huge amounts of rain fall in a very short time.

“River levels were the second highest on record at Blackford Bridge and at Bury Ground, second only to those recorded in the Boxing Day floods in 2015 caused by Storm Eva.

“The important thing is that we did not have a repeat of the suffering caused in 2015. A major reason for that was the success of the first phase of the Radcliffe and Redvales flood defences, and even more of our residents will be protected when the next phases of the flood defences are completed.”

During Storm Ciara, the council logged more than 100 calls for support.

Six Town Housing and Irwell Valley also made plans to evacuate residents, and set up a base in the area where tenants could seek help.

The council deployed a number of highways crews, gully clearers, street sweepers and a team to deal with fallen trees; and provided mini-buses to take people to a rest centre set up at Castle Leisure in Bury.

Cllr Quinn added: “I’d like to thank the tremendous efforts by council staff and all those in our partner agencies for their work, and especially from the community who volunteered to help in whatever way they could.”

ENDS

Press release issued: 21 February 2020.