Agency in town to see progress of flood work

Chair Emma Howard Boyd, chief executive James Bevan and the board met with residents and businesses in Mytholmroyd and Hebden Bridge on Wednesday.

In Mytholmroyd, they were shown the £10m action plan for the town, including plans to widen the channel to increase its capacity, along with a model of the channel which shows how the river reacts during a flood.

“I visited Yorkshire during the floods at Christmas last year and saw the terrible impact they had, and the anxieties communities face in the run up to this winter,” said Ms Howard Boyd.

“I revisited Calderdale in March and spent time with local businesses, listening to their stories and seeing how communities have pulled together to get back up and running.

“This visit gives me and the Environment Agency Board the opportunity to see the progress we’re making with the investment of £250 million to reduce flood risk across Yorkshire.”

Following last Boxing Day’s devastating floods in the Calder Valley, the Environment Agency was asked by the then Secretary of State Liz Truss to put together a detailed catchment plan to manage and reduce the risk of flooding in Calderdale over the next 25 years.

The plan has been put together by the Environment Agency, its partners and the community through a series of workshops over the summer.

The plan will be published in full in October.

You can find out more about the Environment Agency’s work in the Calder Valley at the Mytholmroyd Flood Information Centre, Caldene Avenue, and the Watermark Centre on New Road, Hebden Bridge.

The Mytholmroyd Flood Information Centre is located in the car park of the community centre, and is open Monday from 10am to 4pm, Wednesday from 1pm to 7pm and Friday from 10am to 4pm.

The Environment Agency is also at Hebden Bridge’s Watermark Centre every Thursday from 10am until 3pm to answer any flood-related queries.

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