Environment Agency bosses have come under fire after more than 100 homes – as well as many streets – in Timperley were inundated in the New Year’s Day floods. A councillor who represents the area says warnings to the authorities over the flood risk to the area have been ‘like banging your head against a brick wall’.
Coun Shaun Ennis said the shelving last summer of a multi-million pound flood mitigation scheme by the Environment Agency for the Timperley area was ‘a huge mistake’. The councillor, who leads the Liberal Democrat group on Trafford council, said that although the deluge which began on New Year’s Eve was an ‘an act of God’, much of the flooding which affected Timperley was ‘predictable’.
Yesterday, Environment Agency bosses said flood defences worked ‘as expected’ during the deluge. A spokesperson said the agency had been ‘working around the clock over the New Year’ in order to operate the defences and assist communities.
But Coun Ennis said flooding once again decimated the Timperley area.
“The side of Timperley most vulnerable to flooding is the Beech Field area, which was badly flooded in January 2021,” he said. “It has threatened properties in that area every year since then it’s been touch and go once or twice, but this year that’s been the case four times. This is the fifth time.”
He said homes in Fairbourne Drive, Heyes Lane and Halton Drive were all affected as Fairywell Brook – a notorious source of flooding locally – burst its banks. Other areas not normally vulnerable included Tannery Road and Brentwood Avenue in Broadheath and on Woodlands Parkway near the Navigation Metrolink tram stop as well as Shaftesbury Avenue.
Flooding in Shaftesbury Avenue
Coun Ennis added: “The problem occurs when the brook bursts its banks onto Beech Field playing fields. That happened within the space of an hour. There was nothing you could do.
“I was walking along the roads in the rain at 4am and the drains were working, but within half an hour, I was wading through knee-deep water. We were trying to get people to move their cars and get people up.”
Coun Ennis said that the Environment Agency (EA) were exploring a multi-million pound flood mitigation scheme for the area in the summer. “But they pulled the plug on it,” he said. “They cited a lack of data about the number of homes affected and a lack of money. Basically, it was a load of waffle as far as I’m concerned.”
Flooding in Timperley
He claimed the EA does not have any flood gauge to record data to assess the risk for Timperley. Coun Ennis added: “Timperley doesn’t feature, but other parts of south Manchester do, so when they’re affected the gauges light like up like a Christmas tree, but show nothing for Timperley.
“I feel it’s very relevant that they pulled the plug on that major project, although it would not have prevented what happened in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
“They’re saying that they can’t invest anything, so when the s**t hits the fan the area is under the radar. It’s like banging your head against a brick wall.
“That said, it was a complete act of God. There were areas of Timperley where nothing could’ve been done.”
Flooding in Timperley
And he said that people in Timperely were ‘really fed up about the drains’, with surface water ‘pretty bad’ throughout the winter. “Trafford council think they’re doing a very good job, but they just don’t get it,” he said.
Coun Ennis warned of more heartache to come ahead of a planned development of 2,500 houses on an area known as Timperley Wedge, badged the Davenport Green Masterplan. “It’s really strange that housing is coming at Timplerely Wedge and we all know it’s going to be on a flood plain. People round here cannot believe that they are going to be building there,” he added.
“They’re talking about sustainable urban drainage (SUD), but it will have to be one hell of a SUD scheme for there to be no flood risk.”
Coun Ennis praised Trafford council’s chief executive Sara Todd, who he contacted in the early hours of Wednesday to appeal for ‘boots on the ground’, and the help of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.
“She did everything she could to help,” he said. “Trafford council staff who were on call on the night did their absolute best in very difficult circumstances. We’re grateful to them.”
“My criticism is not with the emergency response,” he added. “It is that some of this was predictable. The EA don’t have the money or the data they need, and if that doesn’t change it’s going to get worse each year.”
What EA and the council have said
An EA spokesperson said: “Environment Agency teams have been working around the clock over the New Year, operating flood defences, taking action to reduce the impact of flooding, issuing flood warnings and supporting those communities affected, including in Greater Manchester.
“More broadly, we are delivering a long-term funding programme of flood defences, investing over £1.25bn this year to scale up national resilience through building new and improving existing flood defences. We know providing the nation with the best available information on flood risk is vital to ensuring that policy makers, practitioners and communities are ready to adapt to flooding.”
A spokesperson for Trafford Council said: “Our flood response operation is continuing, supporting residents, businesses and communities, re-opening closed roads, clearing debris and gritting where and when required. We are doing all we can to help those affected. We are offering our support to those suffering loss or disruption, and we thank our communities for their patience and understanding as we attend to all the issues still emerging in the aftermath of this severe weather.
“While water levels are beginning to fall, and further flooding is not expected, we are asking the people of Trafford to take care, stay safe and check before travelling. We ask motorists and other road users to please obey our road closure signs following reports of some being moved, to allow vehicles to try to pass.
“Council teams worked hard as flooding hit on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, alongside our police partners and other agencies. Taking calls from residents as well as monitoring our CCTV overviews, the xouncil dealt with emerging priorities, closing roads promptly and checking whether vulnerable residents needed support.”