Environment Agency to review Manchester canal flood warning system

The Environment Agency has said it plans to carry out a review after no flood warning was given to some parts of Cheshire hit badly in the Boxing Day deluge.

Businesses and residents near the Manchester Ship Canal, as it cuts through Lymm and Thelwall, have attributed thousands of pounds in flood damages to the lack of a warning.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “This is a complex network of watercourses with multiple owners and operators, including the Manchester Ship Canal which is operated by the Manchester Ship Canal Company.

“The Environment Agency has responsibility for flooding from rivers and the sea, however, as part of our multi-agency review we will explore with our partners, including the Manchester Ship Canal Company, how we can improve our flood warning service for this area.”

Speaking to the BBC, clothes designer and business owner Christine Gilbert said she would consider moving her company elsewhere if a proper warning system is not put in place.

She commented: “We were flooded by a canal, and they say there’s no warning on a canal - that needs to change.”

Elsewhere, Warrington Borough Council is launching an investigation of its own into the cause of and response to the area’s floods.

Lymm councillor Bob Barr commented: “I want to see the investigation ensure that those in Lymm and Thelwall are better informed when they are at risk and are given better warnings when it becomes inevitable that the area will flood. This didn’t happen this time.”

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