Wakefield Council inspects repaired flood pumping system that 'failed' during Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis

Wakefield Council leader Denise Jeffery has returned to Horbury Bridge to inspect a flood water pumping station after the local authority agreed to invest £300,000 in flood defences..
Councillors Denise Jeffery and Matthew Morley at the pumping station in Horbury BridgeCouncillors Denise Jeffery and Matthew Morley at the pumping station in Horbury Bridge
Councillors Denise Jeffery and Matthew Morley at the pumping station in Horbury Bridge

When Storms Ciara and Dennis hit in quick succession earlier this year, residents in the area were badly affected by flooding.

The council repaired a pumping station at the time which had failed due to the company who had previously maintained the pump going into receivership.

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Although repairs to the pumping station are now complete, the money will go towards carrying out further investigations and improvements to Reid Park Beck to further reduce the risk of flooding.

Last month, the council’s cabinet agreed to spend almost £6 million to reduce the risk of flooding in the district over the next six years – £240,000 of this was allocated to Horbury Bridge, alongside a successful bid for £60,000 from the Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee’s Local Levy Grant.

The council has also registered its interest with DEFRA for the Property Flood Resilience Grant which provides grants for properties affected by flooding during Storms Ciara and Dennis.

Affected residents will be contacted by the council in the near future to discuss if they are eligible for the grants and eligible residents and businesses will be assisted to claim the grants - which are being issued to help make affected properties more resilient to future flooding.

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Coun Jeffery said: “We understand how upsetting the flooding was in the affected areas earlier this year.

“We’ve ensured that the pumping station is now fully functional and I’m really pleased that we have secured this extra funding to help us put measures in place to help alleviate further flooding issues.

“I hope we are helping to put the minds of local residents at rest and that they know we are doing everything we can to reduce the risk of this area flooding again.”

Coun Matthew Morley, Wakefield Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Highways, said: “We all saw the devastating impact that the storms earlier this year had on the Horbury Bridge area and we did everything we could at the time to stop further damage being caused.

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“This funding will not only reduce future flood risk and improve existing drainage systems, it will also be used to ensure that our emergency plans and responses to flood incidents are effective. It will also help our local communities recover more quickly after flooding.”