Press release

Keswick flood defence repairs begin

Work to repair the seals on the glass panels along High Hill in Keswick, Cumbria, after they were damaged during the December 2015 floods.

On Tuesday 3 May the Environment Agency started work to repair the seals on the glass panels along High Hill in Keswick after they were damaged during the December 2015 floods.

The panels are designed to be strong enough to withstand the pressure of flood water as well as the impact force of large floating debris such as trees.

These latest repairs follow the work already undertaken by the Environment Agency to remove gravel washed down the River during the floods.

Floods Minister Rory Stewart said:

Across Cumbria, the Environment Agency is working hard to repair flood defences and protect homes and businesses.

This work in Keswick is part of an extensive £10million programme in Cumbria that has already seen more than 3,000 flood defences inspected, with around 100 repair projects set to be completed by the autumn. We are also investing over £43million to better protect more than 3,500 homes across the county over the next five years.

The Cumbria Floods Partnership is now bringing together local authorities, the Environment Agency, land owners and community groups to look at the county’s river catchments as a whole and consider how we can better protect the county from flooding in the future.

Kath Tanner, Flood Recovery Manager for the Environment Agency said:

The repairs to the glass panels in Keswick form an essential part of our wider £10million programme of work to repair flood defences damaged in the December floods. We plan to complete all of the necessary repairs by autumn 2016.

The glass panels in Keswick are 2.5m wide and 0.8m high and made up of 4 sheets of glass, 2 inner sheets and 2 outer sheets with an overall thickness 42mm. The panels will be removed, refurbished and replaced in batches of 6. Temporary metal sheets will be fitted while the glass panes are out.

A separate piece of work is ongoing to investigate the cause and extent of flooding in Keswick and identify ways of reducing local flood risk in the future.

Cumbria County Council is in the process of collating the findings in a ‘Section 19 Flood Investigation Report’, the first draft of which will be shared with the local community at a meeting at Greta Gardens on 17 May from 6pm to 9pm.

Local residents and businesses are urged to attend to provide information and have their say on the future of local flood risk management. Visit the Cumbria County Council website for further information.

Residents of Keswick can check their flood risk by looking at the prepare for a flood website and can also sign up to the Environment Agency’s free flood warning service by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188.

Published 6 May 2016