Flood risk ‘set to be multiplied by four in 20 years’

Council leaders at Calderdale Council claimed yesterday that action needed to be taken to reduce the risks after Hebden Bridge was inundated with flood waters for the second time in less than three weeks.

Businesses and residents in Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd were forced to mount a desperate battle after heavy rain created torrents of water carrying stones and small boulders, overwhelming drains and leading to rapidly rising water levels.

Hebden Bridge Canal breached its banks and the town’s library had to be evacuated following Monday’s deluge.

As the clean-up began, the council’s deputy leader, Councillor Janet Battye, said: “We need to work with the Environment Agency, our partners and the community to produce a clear plan which will help to protect people’s homes and businesses in the Upper Calder Valley.

“We need the input and opinions of local people, who know a lot about their area and who can help us produce a plan.”

Calderdale Council and the Environment Agency are now proposing a joint working group that will include British Waterways, Yorkshire Water and the local community to look at all Upper Calderdale and consider the options for reducing flooding risk.

Council leader Tim Swift said: “Action needs to be taken to reduce the risk of flooding but when floods do occur, the council and its partners are able to keep effects to a minimum and get help to where it is most needed.”

Meanwhile, more than half a million homes and businesses will be at “significant” risk of flooding in the future without more investment in flood defences, the Government’s advisers on climate change have warned.

Floods are likely to become more common as the climate changes and increases the chances of extreme weather, said Lord Krebs of the committee on climate change.

But a funding gap of almost £1bn is opening between what is needed to keep properties protected and what is being spent over the next few years.

At the same time an increasing number of homes and businesses are being built on the flood plain, while the risk of surface water flooding is on the rise because people are increasingly paving over their gardens, giving rain nowhere to seep away.

Lord Krebs, said: “Flooding, as we have seen recently, can have a devastating impact on people’s lives and livelihoods.”

Monday’s cloudburst over Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd resulted in a month’s worth of rain – 1.75 inches – falling in just three hours.

Sandygate Lane at the junction of Walker Lane, Hebden Bridge was closed yesterday and the council warned flood debris still covered a number of roads in the area and drivers were advised to take care in the area.

The authority hopes the library can re-open today.

Keith Crabtree, a volunteer flood warden, said Monday’s deluge had hit the hillside community hard.

More flooding could occur with large swathes of the country expected to be lashed by spells of further rainfall in the coming days as the ground remains saturated and river levels teeter close to bursting point.

In London, a major outdoor show due to take place in Hyde Park today, starring Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Steps and others, celebrating the music of Pete Waterman, has been cancelled because of the weather.

Fire crews had to rescue a bread van driver stranded in four feet of water in Doncaster yesterday.

The man got stuck on Fordstead Lane, about 400 yards from Barnby Dun at about 6.30am, after trying to drive from the Arksey side of the road towards Barnby Dun.