NORTHWICH’S new £7 million flood defences have been put to the test for the first time.

A selection of temporary and permanent flood barriers, which can be deployed within three hours during emergencies, were tested in an Environment Agency training exercise on Thursday, July 20.

Across the town centre, 100 metres of demountable defences were erected, and 14 flood gates were closed, as the operation gave agency workers valuable experience.

It was the first test for Northwich’s flood alleviation scheme, which was launched last month and reduces the flood risk to around 400 homes and businesses in the town.

Christian Wilcox, flood manager at the Environment Agency, said: “It was fantastic to see the full set of demountable defences brought into effective action for the first time.

“This was a major test of our operational equipment and allowed us to train up the teams who will work on deploying these defences.

“Part of the flooding that Northwich has previously experienced has come directly from the River Dane and we were pleased to see that our road closure at Dane Bridge, during the test of the defences, worked extremely well and would provide a good level of signage and a viable alternative route when we need to deploy the defences in earnest.”

Residents should prepare for flooding in advance by visiting gov.uk to sign up for free flood warnings, or by calling the Environment Agency Floodline on 0345 988 1188 to find out how to protect themselves and their property when flooding hits.