River Aire flood defences are winter ready as work continues on permanent repairs

Permanent repairs to flood embankments on the lower River Aire are underway after they were damaged during storms last winter.

River Aire flood defences are winter ready as work continues on permanent repairs

Press release

Permanent repairs to flood embankments on the lower River Aire are underway after they were damaged during storms last winter.

The repairs form part of a £10M package of work that will reduce flood risk to communities across North Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire including Snaith and Gowdall.

Emergency temporary repairs were carried out in the immediate aftermath of the flooding, but now permanent works at locations across the Lower Aire Washlands will repair the damage caused and strengthen defences.

The latest repairs are being completed at Pick Hill embankment near Snaith and Poor Bank embankment near Gowdall where concrete blocks are being installed to make them more resilient to future scour damage if a similar flood was to happen again.

Poor bank and Pickhill embankments are part of reservoirs that help reduce the flood risk to the communities of Gowdall and Snaith.

Kimberley MacPherson, West Yorkshire Operations Manager at the Environment Agency said:

It was the wettest February on record for Yorkshire, with the River Aire catchment receiving three and a half times the average monthly rainfall.

The floods had a devastating impact on communities across North Yorkshire, and our thoughts remain with those affected, especially families who still cannot return home.

After the flood water subsided, we inspected defences in the area and found damage at 40 locations. We secured £10 million of funding to make repairs and have been working hard to complete them ahead of winter. Where permanent fixes won’t be complete by spring, we’ve installed temporary measures to ensure local communities are protected this winter.

We can never entirely eliminate the risk of flooding. We encourage people to prepare too, by signing up for Flood Warnings and preparing a flood plan. Further information can be found on GOV.UK.

Repair work has already been completed at Little Airmyn, West Holme, with West Haddlesey due for completion next week.
Repairs at Pick Hill are complete, and final landscaping at Poor Bank is due to be completed by Christmas.
Ground investigation works around areas such as Chapel Haddlesey, Birkin Barrier, Hensall Ings, Hensall Pumping Station, Carlton Bridge and Lock Lane, have now finished, so design work has now started to plan what work is needed for these areas.
Work at two sites at Hirst Courtney will start early next year and will see repairs to flood embankments in the village and work to prevent river channel erosion near The Sloop Inn pub.
A new flood defence wall is being proposed at Newlands, with work due to start next year. Temporary repairs are in place for the winter period until permanent works can start.
At Heck Ings, work is being planned for scour damage and seepage repairs with work due to start in the new year.

Since the February floods, the Environment Agency has been working closely with North Yorkshire County Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the Internal Drainage Board to learn from the floods and plan for the future.

Work has been done with communities to help them become better prepared for any risk of flooding, with improvements made to flood warning and informing, and the recruitment of community flood wardens.

Published 10 December 2020

River Aire flood defences are winter ready as work continues on permanent repairs

Permanent repairs to flood embankments on the lower River Aire are underway after they were damaged during storms last winter.

UK Government provides £400m package for Northern Ireland in post Transition deal

Substantial funding package aimed at boosting Northern Ireland’s economic growth and supporting businesses

UK Government provides £400m package for Northern Ireland in post Transition deal

Today £400 million of new money has been guaranteed by the UK Government in a ‘New Deal for Northern Ireland’.

As part of the Northern Ireland Protocol, the UK Government committed to implement this ‘New Deal’ to help boost economic growth, increase Northern Ireland’s competitiveness and invest in infrastructure.

This substantial financial package is aimed at supporting businesses to operate after the Transition Period, whilst also ensuring that Northern Ireland is ready to seize the trade and investment opportunities ahead.

This package comes on top of the £650 million of UK Government investment announced in August to deliver the Trader Support Service, investment in new technology, and our contribution to the PEACE Plus Programme. It is in addition to funding that has been provided to meet costs from the UK’s obligations under the Northern Ireland Protocol. The UK Government also committed £2 billion to the NI Executive in January 2020 under the ‘New Decade, New Approach’ agreement.

Taken together, in a year which has also seen unprecedented increases in UK Government funding for the Northern Ireland Executive, this is the largest new investment the UK Government has committed to Northern Ireland and its trade, in any year, for decades.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, said:

“The New Deal is wonderful news for Northern Ireland and underlines the UK Government’s commitment to supporting and protecting the interests of the people and businesses in Northern Ireland.

“Fostering economic growth and social cohesion is key to building a stable and prosperous future for Northern Ireland and this additional £400 million will support Northern Ireland after the end of the Transition period enabling NI businesses and its people to innovate and invest.

“As announced at the Spending Review, Northern Ireland will also benefit from more than £100 billion of capital investment across the UK in 2021/22. This includes the Gigabit and Shared Rural Network programmes for better mobile coverage, investment in new green industries and access to a £14.6 billion UK-wide research and development fund.

“I look forward to working with the Executive to deliver all of this funding, to continue to grow the economy, and support people and businesses across Northern Ireland.”

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Stephen Barclay said:

“This significant funding further reinforces the strength of UK action to support Northern Ireland. It builds on £900 million allocated at the Spending Review through the Barnett formula, which can be used to grow the economy, improve public services and support people and business across Northern Ireland. Protecting jobs and livelihoods in Northern Ireland remains a priority for the UK Government.”

Through this ‘New Deal’, we will:

support initiatives to promote Northern Ireland’s goods and services to export markets from GB and Ireland to the rest of the world
support the development of systems that will enable supermarkets and other small traders to manage the new trading arrangements and coordinate trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain *ensure resilience in medicine supply chains
promote Northern Ireland’s potential as a leader in innovative technology and invest in the skills of the people of Northern Ireland in key growth areas such as cybersecurity, fintech and green/clean technology
invest in social development across Northern Ireland, strengthening social cohesion and building stronger, safer communities – including by supporting initiatives to enable children from different community backgrounds to be educated together
improve the flow of goods and travel to and from Great Britain and across Northern Ireland, boosting access to opportunities
enable Northern Ireland’s businesses to compete in the global market, driving forward future growth and prosperity

Notes to Editors:

As part of the New Decade, New Approach deal, the UK Government committed to ensuring that there is a New Deal for Northern Ireland at the end of the Transition Period maximising trade opportunities & investment. The UK Government further committed to a New Deal for Northern Ireland as set out in the Command Paper for the NI Protocol in May.
The UK Government has shown time and time again that they are committed to supporting Northern Ireland, levelling up across the UK and strengthening our Union.
The £400m New Deal package comes on top of our significant recent investment in Northern Ireland: £2 billion committed in New Decade, New Approach; £650m in August for the Trader Support Scheme, investment in new technology and Peace Plus contribution;
This is on top of the unprecedented upfront £2.8bn funding guarantee available to help the Executive respond to Covid-19 this year with a further £900m uplift provided at the Spending Review for next year.