Flood alert service extended to more homes

Jeni Harvey

A FLOOD warning service set up by the Environment Agency is being extended to additional areas of Barnsley and Sheffield.

The service is to be extended to homes in Low Valley and Aldham Bridge, near Barnsley, which are at risk from flooding from the River Dove, and also to those in Chapeltown, Ecclesfield and Wincobank, at risk from flooding from Blackburn, Ecclesfield and Charlton brooks.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

More than 1,100 homes and businesses will now be able to sign up to the Floodline Warnings Direct service and receive personalised updates that can be sent to landlines, mobile phones, pagers and faxes, or by email and text message.

Those at risk will be contacted by letter later this month, with full information on how they can sign up to the flood warning service.

The service for the new areas will go live in March and, after that date, whenever the Environment Agency issues flood warnings they will be sent to those who want to receive them.

These areas were some of the worst-hit during the floods of summer 2007.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Alan Smith, of the Environment Agency’s flood incident management team, said: “Floods don’t just happen to other people, as the people of Low Valley, Aldham Bridge, Chapeltown, Ecclesfield and Wincobank know We want to encourage everyone who receives a letter about our flood warning service to register to Floodline Warnings Direct, even if they were not affected in 2007.

“This will allow them to choose how they receive flood warning messages and let them manage these details online. Watch out for the letter and take action.”

More information about flooding and flood warnings is available at the Environment Agency’s website, or people can call the 24-hour Floodline service on 0845 988 1188.