Protecting all homes from flooding not possible

IT is not possible to protect all households in Warrington from flooding – and this would still be the case even if the country was not in an era of austerity.
Increasingly uncertain weather patterns and with more development taking place, houses and businesses that have never been flooded in living memory may now be at risk.
This is made clear by Cllr Linda Dirir, Warrington Borough Council’s lead member for environment and regeneration, in a foreword the borough’s first strategy for flood risk management.
Town Hall chiefs will be asked next week to approve the draft strategy for consultation purposes, with a view to a final strategy being formally approved in April.
Warrington can apply for capital funding from the Department of Environment for Food and Rural Affairs to assist with managing flood risk across the borough – but the success of the bid is dependent on evidence of flooding and the council’s strategies for prioritising flood risk.
Cllr Dirir said the strategy was a key step in making sure the risk of flooding in the town was dealt with as a whole, joining up work done by the council, the Environment Agency, United Utilities and neighbouring councils with that of the local community and individual households.
She added: “However, the activities identified in this strategy can only manage flood risk.
“It would not be possible, even if we were not in an era of austerity, to protect all households from flooding.
“Instead, efforts need to be made by all involved, organisations and householders alike, to reduce flood risk in practical ways. Sometimes this involves focusing not just on decreasing the probability of flooding but also its impact, making sure that properties and households can cope in the event of a serious flood.
“We recognise that, in the past, the different organisations involved in risk management have not always worked together effectively enough in tackling the difficult problems that flood risk often creates. We have a strong and long tradition of partnership working in Warrington and we intend to extend this to managing flood risk.”
Cllr Dirir stresses that it is vital that organisations work better not just with each other but, crucially, with the public.
She added: “With more development and increasingly uncertain weather patterns, houses and businesses that have never been flooded within living memory may be at risk.
“This strategy is our statement of intent as to how we will manage flood risk in Warrington. We hope it will help you become better informed of everyone’s responsibilities, how to find out your flood risk and what we can do to help you become safer.”
Average rainfall in Warrington is about 600mm, reasonably distributed throughout the year with an average low of 40mm in May and an average peak of 69mm in October. But flooding incidents caused by unseasonal, erratic weather patterns have increased across the borough in recent years.
With clear scientific evidence that global climate change is happening, it is forecast that winter rainfall could increase by around 14 per cent with precipitation on the wettest day in winter rising by around 11 per cent.
Flood risk areas identified in the draft strategy include, from the Mersey Estuary, 2,204 properties in Eastford Road, Moss Side, Arpley Bridge, Fiddler’s Ferry, Knutsford Road, Howley, Bank Quay, Kingsway North, Centre Park, and Westy.
The Mersey also threatens 4,584 properties between Lymm and Runcorn.
Sankey Brook threatens 3,309 properties at Gemini, Dallam, Sankey Bridges, Longford, Orfordc, Great Sankey and Penketh.
A number of other areas are at risk from smaller watercourses including Underbridge Lane, Higher Walton; Rushgreen Road, Lymm; Common Lane, Culcheth; Grant Close, Whitecross; Hebden Avenue, Glazebury; Dam Lane, Croft; and Widnes Road, Cuerdley.
Picture: Flooding in Densham Avenue, Longford.