On Tuesday, November 8, staff from Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC), the Environment Agency, United Utilities, and the Canal and River Trust worked through a flood scenario to test the procedures set out in the recently published Emergency Flooding Plan for Northwich Town Centre.

The plan builds on knowledge of previous floods to help protect the town’s homes and businesses, and involves deploying monitors to measure river, sewer and highway drain levels, as well using 12 pumps to lower the risk of flooding to the town centre.

Craig Connor, wastewater drainage area manager at United Utilities, said: “Putting the joint plan to the test in this live exercise has been a fantastic way to boost our preparedness, and gives us some hands-on experience which will be of great use if we need to take action this winter.”

Environment Agency area flood and coastal risk manager, Ollie Hope, said: “This successful multi-agency exercise, where we’ve tested the new emergency flood plan, shows how we’ve worked with partners to mitigate the devastating impacts of flooding from all sources, including surface and foul water.

“Our Northwich flood defences protect hundreds of properties from river flooding and we regularly operate and maintain them so they’re ready for action when river levels rise.

“It is important to recognise that we can’t stop all flooding, especially given the increasingly extreme weather we are seeing because of climate change.

“We would urge everyone in Northwich to sign up for our free flood warning service via.gov.uk and prepare a flood plan so that they know what to do if flooding occurs.”

Adam Gerrard, Northwich BID Project Manager, said: “Being able to see the dry run first-hand demonstrated that there’s been a significant amount of work put into the emergency plan by all three partners, and they are well prepared ahead of the winter period to ensure Northwich can receive a quick reaction if needed.”