A REPORT setting out areas of Warrington where there is a significant risk of flooding is to be submitted to the Environment Agency later this month.
The Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (PFRA) uses information on past floods and potential future floods to identify at risk areas.
For PFRA purposes, a “significant risk” means an area where there are at least 30,000 people who would have their 
life threatened by flooding.
It is believed there are around 2,000 homes downstream of Howley Weir are at
great risk from flooding should high tides on the Mersey coincide with
high levels of rain.
Warrington is still regarded to have a high risk of flooding and the draft PFRA has outlined the business case for investing to reduce the risk of flooding – with Latchford, Howley Meadows and Kingsway North all areas for the development of flood risk management schemes in the next four years.
Consultation will take place with the community over plans for walls and embankments to reduce risk while maintaining the utility value of the area.
Warrington is contributing £12 million to the Mersey Flood Defence Scheme.
Councillors have for some time had concerns about flooding in the Densham Avenue and Hawley Lane areas.
According to the Environment Agency, there are complex interactions in these areas with land levels which lead to water being captured there and being unable to run away. Work is going on to find a solution
Bewsey Bridge pumping station is unreliable and has inadequate infrastructure – problems also being studied by the agency.
Pictured: flooding in Densham Avenue, Longford, in 2008.
2 Comments
Plans have already been drawn up to build walls along the Mersey, and to use Victoria Park to take the surplus water. It does need to be kept in perspective and not frighten people, as it has only flooded on to Knutsford Rd once in the last 20 odd years.
It will be interesting to see if it brings house insurance down.
You would think that with all the works that have gone on virtually constantly for the last 25 years at Bewsey pumping station that they would have sorted this by now!!