Flood alert system extended to fresh area

A new flood warning service will be launched next month for residents and businesses in the Spen Valley area.

Residents at risk from flooding from the River Spen and its tributaries Balcup Beck, Lands Beck and Canker Dyke are being urged to take advantage of the Environment Agency’s free flood warning service when it is extended to Cleckheaton, Liversedge, Heckmondwike, Littletown and Ravensthorpe. A total of 1,251 homes and businesses in the area will 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.

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

Claire Fyfe, of the Environment Agency’s flood incident management team, said: “Floods don’t just happen to other people, as the people of Spen Valley know only too well.

“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.”

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

During the flood of 2007 many streets were badly affected, including St Peg Lane and St Peg Close, Radulf Gardens, Ings Crescent, Valley Road, Green Lane, Sackville Street and Broomer Street.

Local residents were recently given the opportunity to find out more about the flood warning service and to express their views, during meetings with the Environment Agency and its partners Kirklees Council and Yorkshire Water in Cleckheaton and Ravensthorpe.

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