Jubilee flood relief channel
Updated 30 October 2025
© Crown copyright 2025
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jubilee-river-flood-alleviation-scheme/jubilee-river-flood-alleviation-scheme
The Jubilee flood relief channel was built by the Environment Agency and opened in 2002. It is part of the Maidenhead Windsor and Eton flood alleviation scheme (MWEFAS). The channel is a man made, 11.6 kilometre stretch of naturalistic river and habitats.
MWEFAS also includes defences in north Maidenhead and Cookham. It reduces the risk of flooding to approximately 3,000 properties in:
- Maidenhead
- Windsor
- Eton
- Cookham
In flood conditions, we split some of the water away from the River Thames through the Jubilee. The Jubilee provides extra space for this water before it re-joins the River Thames at Datchet.
We operate weir gates at Taplow to control the amount of water being split into the Jubilee. As the flow in the River Thames increases, we open the gates gradually in small increments to allow water to flow through the channel.
The Jubilee:
- is not designed to reduce flood risk to communities upstream or downstream of the scheme
- does not adversely impact communities upstream or downstream
There are public footpaths alongside the Jubilee for most of its length that are suitable for:
- walking
- running
- cycling
- horse riding
For safety reasons we close parts of the footpath when we operate the Jubilee. No swimming is permitted anywhere along the Jubilee flood relief channel as it is not safe for swimming at any time of the year.
More information
You can:
- visit our engagement HQ page which contains the latest information about maintenance activities, how we operate the Jubilee and videos to explain how it works - you can also find out if the Jubilee is being operated to reduce flood risk by visiting the Jubilee operational status section of the page
- sign up for free flood warnings or call Floodline on 0345 988 1188
- Check for flooding in England page to see which warnings are in force
- email enquiries_THM@environment-agency.gov.uk
- follow us on X @EnvAgencySE