NORTHWICH MP Mike Amesbury has voiced his frustration at London Road being hit by flooding yet again.

London Road has been closed at the junction of Chesterway this afternoon following the arrival of Storm Christoph, while residents at Hayhurst Marina have been evacuated from lifeboats.

The same area was affected by the floods of autumn 2019 and was hit by surface water just last Friday, following last week’s downpours.

Cheshire West and Chester Council says a full report looking into the 2019 flooding will be released this spring, but Mr Amesbury feels this is not good enough.

He said: “I'm concerned about reports of drains overflowing in the London Road area again, despite previous recommendations of an interim investigation which raised this as a potential problem.

“I've also been informed that some people have had to be evacuated from their houseboats. When people are supposed to be in lockdown, this is doubly concerning.  

“Flooding has been a major ongoing issue in the area and in the past I've seen the damage first hand. My office has previously also worked closely with many of those impacted, both residents and businesses, to get them the support they needed. 

Northwich Guardian:

Houseboats have been evacuated at Hayhurst Marina

“A report was commissioned to look into the underlying causes but I'm extremely concerned that this is not expected to be published until April.

“I'm currently liaising with the council, local councillor Sam Naylor and the Environment Agency to help ensure that everything that can be done to protect the town, is being done."

Cllr Naylor also hit out at the issue last Friday when speaking to the Guardian.

He said: “The flood defence system is there to protect the town but it is obviously the drainage that is not coping.

“What have we learned from 15 months ago? How can we stop this happening again?”

In a statement released on Tuesday, CWAC said it was working with the Environment Agency to protect businesses in town ahead of further heavy rain.

It also said the report would be released this spring, after Cllr Naylor questioned what had happened to it in the Guardian.

A CWAC spokesman said: “Last Friday, concerns were raised that surface water was causing flooding problems in the Dane Street/London Road area in Northwich town centre, which previously flooded in October 2019.

“As a result of this, and the forecast showing more rain, contingency measures have been put in place in partnership with the other agencies to help alleviate any surface water issues.

READ > Residents evacuated from Hayhurst Marina and London Road closed due to Storm Christoph

“This has been actioned whilst the matter is being investigated as part of the Northwich report which the council has commissioned to establish the likely causes and make recommendations to reduce the risk of future flooding. 

“This type of report requires a full investigation of the incident and needs to be carried out thoroughly, so can take time.

“Following the publication of the Northwich Section 19 Interim Report last year, work has been accelerated on the completion of the full report which is expected to be available in the spring of 2021.”