Northumberland Flood Scheme Complete

A major new £600,000 flood scheme which protects homes and businesses in a Northumberland town from tidal flooding is complete, reports the Environment Agency.

The previous 180m flood wall in the Cowpen area of Blyth has been upgraded and extended to create a 380m wall to reduce the risk of flooding to the town.

When taking climate change into account these new defenses, from Crawford Street to Quay Road, will protect over 1,000 properties into the future while also offering immediate improved protection from tidal flooding to 58 properties.

Leila Huntington, the Environment Agency’s Flood Risk Manager for the North East, said: “We’re delighted this flood wall is now complete and hope it provides peace of mind to local residents that they have increased protection from tidal flooding now and into the future.”

“This is a great example of an effective and efficient partnership project and we have worked closely with the Port of Blyth to create something which means a greater standard of flood protection at a reduced cost,” added Leila Huntington.

The work has been funded by the Environment Agency but was built by Port of Blyth as part of their wider redevelopment of the adjacent Bates and Wimbourne Quay terminals.