The Environment Agency is carrying out a large-scale training exercise in Northwich as part of a winter preparedness programme to make sure it is ready to respond to flood incidents.
The exercise – due to take place between 5pm on Sunday 26 October and 3am on Monday 27 October – will see 69 metres of temporary defences erected and 12 flood gates closed in the town.
The event will start with the closing of floodgates at Waitrose and the Dane Bridge, as well as setting up temporary flood defences outside Wildwood and the cinema. As part of this phase, the far end of London Road will also be closed and a viable alternative route provided.
Temporary defences are made of lightweight aluminium and can be erected in around 45 minutes in the event of a flood alert or warning.
At Dane Bridge, two layers of barrier act as a channel to keep water within the River Dane, preventing it from spilling over towards London Road or Watling Street.
The floodgates are closed in minutes and create a seal to protect the town from floodwater.
Ready for winter
Since its launch in June 2018, the £7 million flood alleviation scheme, which reduces the flood risk to around 400 homes and businesses throughout the town, has been tested and maintained on a regular basis. The scheme was deployed multiple times over the 2024-25 storm season, including Storm Bert and at New Year.
Omonyi Green, Environment Agency Operations Manager for Cheshire, said:
Although we hope these defences won’t be needed in Northwich this winter, it’s important our teams are ready for whatever the weather has in store for us.
We train all year round but, with the increased flood risk during the wetter months ahead, we want to make sure we are equipped to respond to incidents.
These emergency response plans should give reassurance to residents in Northwich. However, it is important to remember that we can never fully protect against flooding.
Residents should always prepare in advance for this by going online and signing up for free flood warnings.
The exercise takes place a week on from Flood Action Week. People can search “prepare for flooding” to find the risk for their home, business and neighbourhood.
Taking action to protect your home, belongings and loved ones begins with checking your flood risk, getting flood warnings, making an action plan, and considering installing property flood resilience measures. Go to Prepare for flooding: Protect yourself from future flooding.
Working with partners
As part of Cheshire West and Chester Council’s commitment to protecting Northwich, pumps are currently in situ – and working with the Environment Agency these will be tested on Dane Street.
Councillor Karen Shore, Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Highways at Cheshire West and Chester Council, said:
The Council is committed to doing everything we can to prevent any potential flooding impacts to homes and businesses. We work closely with partner agencies such as the Environment Agency across the borough because it is vital that we are all able to come together to act swiftly to protect residents in the event of a flood in the future.
Our teams are supporting the Environment Agency’s important and large-scale exercise this weekend to test temporary and permanent flood barriers, which can be deployed in emergencies. This will help teams to be well prepared in the event of any potential flooding incidents.
There is more information on the Council’s approach to flooding, advice on how to prepare and respond to flooding, and where to find the latest Flood Alerts and Warnings on the Council website. Residents can also check when gullies are scheduled to be cleansed and report any drain or gully issues on the website.
The exercise will allow the Environment Agency to conduct routine inspection and maintenance of the defences, whilst also providing an opportunity to exercise procedures in conjunction with our partners.
