The Environment Agency is installing £1 million of Property Flood
Resilience (PFR) measures to over 100 homes and businesses in
York which are at risk of flooding.
York has been affected by flooding for many decades, with severe
floods in 2000 and more recently in 2015 when over 620 homes and
businesses were flooded.
Homes in and around York, including the villages of Naburn and
Acaster Malbis, have been impacted significantly by flood water
coming through doorways and airbricks causing significant damage
to property and furniture.
The £1 million scheme will install measures such as flood
barriers, non-return valves, self-closing air bricks and pumps
which help to reduce the risk of water entering people’s homes
during a flood. The installation of these products will run until
December with funding provided from the Environment Agency.
Environment Agency Area Flood Risk Manager Paul Stockhill
said:
With our changing climate we are unable to eliminate the risk of
flooding, but we can help communities be more resilient to it. We
often build large scale defences to try and manage flood water,
but sometimes property level measures might be
appropriate. We hope that these measures will help to give
these residents in York reassurance, helping ensure a flood does
less damage and life can get back to normal much quicker.
This investment is part of the £45 million Environment Agency
programme to improve flood defences in York. Together with
a further £38 million invested to improve the Foss Barrier, our
work will better protect over 2,000 properties across the city.
Stanley Shoobridge, a resident in Acaster Malbis, York
who is benefiting from the scheme, said:
I’m very pleased with my new defences, and how easy they are to
fit. In the past I’ve had to drag sandbags into position to
try and protect my home. I don’t flood frequently, but when I do,
I’m on an island and only people with waders can reach
me. I’m 92 years of age and it’s now so much easier to
put my new barrier into place.
I live in an 18th century cottage and underground seepage is also
a problem. I’ve now been given pumps to take care of that,
and four automatic air grates have been fitted, so I no longer
have to worry about covering them up.
Cllr Paula Widdowson, Executive Member for Climate Change
and the Environment, from City of York Council, said:
Protecting peoples’ homes and businesses is an absolute priority,
particularly as flood events become ever more frequent. This
significant extra investment will help us better protect
residents in and around the villages of Naburn and Acaster Malbis
and build on the work already being carried out across the city.
More than 2,000 properties are now better protected in York from
future flooding with thanks to the £110 million flood alleviation
programme, which is being delivered by City of York Council and
the Environment Agency. Through this programme, we’re
implementing vital flood alleviation schemes across the city to
further reduce the impact of flooding and climate change on our
communities.
