Millions needed to cut valley flooding danger

Repairing the damage to the Upper Calder Valley after it was struck by floods last summer has so far cost more than £3m.

But a blueprint, which includes a programme of measures to reduce risk throughout the Upper Valley and target specific issues in Elland and Brighouse, is set to run into millions more, according to a Calderdale Council report.

The report, to be considered by the council’s cabinet on Monday, said the projects required were still being examined.

“Initial assessment work suggests the programme is estimated at this stage to require around £42m of capital investment, plus continued revenue activity to maintain vital infrastructure. However, once the study work identified has been undertaken the figure could increase or decrease,” it said.

The floods which hit Todmorden, Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd last summer were among the most damaging in the area in recent memory. Calderdale Council has already spent about £1.5m on repairs.

The council’s cabinet member for economy and environment, Coun Barry Collins, said: “Phase two of the flood recovery work is about to start, and will last a year. The resulting flood investment plan will be highly detailed and will cover the work required for the next eight to 10 years.

“During the next year we aim to increase community flood resilience, continue to gather and share flood evidence and establish the causes of local flooding, deliver short-term investments from the council, Environment Agency, Yorkshire Water and Canal & River Trust, and lobby for additional resources to deliver the full flood investment plan.”

The 900 homes in the area which were affected by the floods comprise one in nine of the national total hit by flooding last year. Some 250 businesses were also damaged.

Themes of the programme include a review of the flood warning and incident response and management systems, development of an upland management policy to reduce run-off, and a river stewardship scheme.

It will also include a study of the events and modelling of the River Calder, of the Rochdale Canal and of Yorkshire Water’s sewer network in Todmorden.

The report concludes: “There is a need for greater investment in resilience, at a local and micro level for property owners and occupants to invest in flood doors/gates/airbrick covers etc and at the macro level through major capital works and investment.”

It said the council “should have established a dedicated flood team much earlier than it did to ensure there was an unbroken management engagement with all the issues which arose from the flood events”.

It noted an “urgent need” to resolve insurance matters and called for the upland areas to be managed to prevent the quick run-off of water during heavy rain.

A spokesman for the council said last night it took immediate action to work with partners to recover from the floods. “A flood resilience team was set up in early September to co-ordinate longer term flood recovery.

“The report acknowledges the work of that team and recommends that a similar approach is adopted earlier in future. This is in no way criticising the efforts of agencies and staff in supporting local communities and businesses to recover from floods during the summer.”