WORK will be brought forward on a Morpeth flood alleviation scheme, but only
by four months.
Staff at the Environment Agency have been working on plans to accelerate the
programme since the town was deluged on September 6.
However, due to the tight time-scales involved only four months have so far
been shaved off the schedule, though the construction phase may still be
shortened.
Options include rebuilding and improving existing defences, which offer
protection from a 1-in-60 year flood,building an upstream storage system to
hold back floodwater, or a combination of the two.
Consultation on possible designs is likely to begin with residents early in
the New Year, with building work due to start in 2011.
The Agency has already carried out surveys of existing defences and where
necessary replacements will soon be put in place.
Agency Acting Area Manager Julie Teall said: "In the immediate aftermath of
the floods, our primary goal was to ensure our flood defences were
structurally sound and debris was cleared from rivers.
"In Morpeth, our main flood defences held firm during the September flood,
even though they were underwater at the height of the flood.
"Some superficial damage caused to a wall in the leisure centre car park was
immediately replaced with a temporary flood defence and we will soon be
building a permanent structure in its place."
Questions had been asked about whether damage to Highford Weir may have
contributed to the scale of the disaster, but Ms Teall said investigations
have shown it had no impact.
"We carried out an inspection on Highford Weir following reports of damage
to it. This weir has no bearing on the flood risk to Morpeth and therefore
we are not looking to repair it. We are currently seeking out the owner of
the weir and will pass on the details of our investigation to them," she
said.
The 'Herald' previously revealed that flood warning systems had failed
almost 200 households in Middle Greens as due to human error the area was
missed out of telephone alerts.
The Environment Agency admitted that only four out of five flood zones in
the town were included in the advance warning system, but Ms Teall said the
system has now been simplified and staff numbers boosted to ensure the
mistake is not repeated.
"Over the past six weeks the Environment Agency has focused on identifying
lessons learnt and re-prioritising work in the wake of the flood," she said.
"In Morpeth, two issues have stood out so far. Ensuring the flood warnings
process is more robust so errors do not occur and identifying where we could
reduce time in the delivery of Morpeth's new flood defences."
She added: "Since September we have been reviewing the way we respond to
flood incidents. At a local level we have already made some changes to our
systems, making it easier for flood watches and warnings to be issued by our
staff.
"Our electronic flood warning system is very robust, but the changes we have
made make it more straight-forward to use during large-scale incidents.
"At national level we are also looking at any improvements."
Only 51 percent of North East households eligible for the free flood warning
service have signed up and the Agency is keen for more to come on board.
To register your home call Floodline on 0845 988 1188.
• In Ponteland, the Agency is looking into setting up a Flood Warden scheme
to help residents guard against the risk of flooding.
