LIT 10204

Flood risk management plan

Humber river basin district summary March 2016

What are flood risk management plans? Flood risk management plans (FRMPs) explain the risk of flooding from rivers, the sea, surface water, groundwater and reservoirs. FRMPs set out how risk management authorities will work with communities to manage flood and coastal risk over the period 2015-2021. Risk management authorities include the Environment Agency, local councils, internal drainage boards, Highways and lead local flood authorities (LLFAs). Each EU member country must produce FRMPs as set out in the EU Floods Directive 2007. Each FRMP covers a specific river basin district. There are 11 river basin districts in England and Wales, as defined in the legislation. A river basin district is an area of land covering one or more river catchments. A river catchment is the area of land from which rainfall drains to a specific river. Within the river basin district there are two FRMPs:  Humber Flood Risk Management Plan  Kingston upon Hull and Haltemprice Catchment within East Riding of FRMP Each river basin district also has a river basin management plan, which looks at how to protect and improve water quality, and use water in a sustainable way. FRMPs and river basin management plans work to a 6- year planning cycle. The current cycle is from 2015 to 2021. We have developed the Humber FRMP alongside the Humber river basin management plan. The Kingston upon Hull and Haltemprice Catchment within East Riding of Yorkshire FRMP can be viewed on East Riding of Yorkshire Councils website at: http://www.eastriding.gov.uk/flooding Both flood risk management and river basin planning form an important part of a collaborative and integrated approach to catchment planning for water. Building on this essential work, and in the context of the Governments 25-year environment plan, over the next cycle we aim to move towards single plans for the environment on a catchment basis which will draw together and integrate objectives for flood risk management, water management, and biodiversity, with the aim of maximising the multiple benefits that can be achieved.

Flood risk in the Humber river basin district The Humber river basin district covers approximately 26,000km2. It stretches from the North Moors in the north to Birmingham in the south, and from the in the west to the . It includes a wide range of landscapes:  the upland areas of the Peak District, South Pennines and the North York Moors with their internationally important peat lands  the Derbyshire and  the fertile river valleys of the Trent and Ouse  the free-draining chalk of the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Wolds The river basin district comprises 15 river catchments and 3 flood risk areas. Flood risk areas are areas with a high risk of surface water flooding (flooding which happens when drainage systems become overloaded with high volumes of rainfall). As defined flood risk areas, the relevant LLFAs have developed FRMPs. The

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Leicester Principle Urban Area and West Midlands FRMPs have been developed in conjunction with the Humber FRMP and as such are incorporated in one plan. The Hull and Haltemprice flood risk area, which covers the Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire, is covered by two separate plans. The Humber FRMP includes the Hull City Council area whilst the Kingston upon Hull and Haltemprice Catchment within East Riding of Yorkshire FRMP covers the Haltemprice villages section of the flood risk areas. Whilst covered by two separate plans, they have been developed in partnership and complement each other. There is one strategic area where it is particularly important to consider flood risk management across more than one sub-area, so that interested parties can work in a co-ordinated way. This is the Humber Estuary. This has been defined as a strategic area because it covers 8 management catchments, 6 Local Authorities, 3 Regional Flood and Coastal Committees and several Internal Drainage Boards. Of the 11.7 million people living in the river basin district, there are:  almost 78,000 people at high risk of surface water flooding (more than a 1 in 30 chance of being flooded in any year (3.3%))  just over 58,000 people at high risk of flooding from rivers and the sea (more than a 1 in 30 chance of being flooded in any year (3.3%)) During December 2015, Storms Desmond, Eva and Frank brought record breaking levels of rainfall and significant flooding to some parts of the country. On 5 and 6 December the highest ever river flows were registered in several large catchments including the Eden, Lune and Tyne. On 25 and 26 December further record river levels were registered for many large rivers draining the Pennines. The Met Office confirmed that December 2015 was the wettest on record in parts of the UK, including Cumbria which experienced more than two and a half times expected monthly rainfall.

Across the country over 19,000 properties were flooded, with thousands more affected by loss of power supply and travel disruption. Existing flood defences played an essential part in protecting thousands of homes during December with 12,500 benefitting during Storm Desmond and 10,900 during Storm Eva. Support to affected communities, business and the agricultural sector is in place, along with a programme of inspections and repairs to damaged defences.

It is essential to ensure that we have the very best possible plans in place for flood management across the whole country. In response to the December floods the Government has put in place a National Flood Resilience Review pinpoint where our defences and modelling need strengthening. The Local Flood Partnerships in Cumbria and Yorkshire, also set up in response to the December floods, will bring together a wide range of organisations and communities to develop Flood Action Plans. These actions will complement the measures in the FRMP and the learning from this approach will be shared across the country.

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Characteristics of the Humber river basin district Part B of the FRMP gives a full description of each catchment, including the factors affecting flood risk and statistics for the river basin district.

Uplands, Pennines and moors The main upland areas of the Humber river basin district are in the west and north. The highest land is around 735m, where the headwaters (the small rivers near to the source) of the rivers Swale and Ure start. The source of the River Derwent in Derbyshire is in an upland moorland area at more than 630m. Depending on the underlying geology and typical topography of high gradients, steep valleys and narrow floodplains, river levels in these areas can rise very quickly during intense rainfall. There are also areas of higher ground within the Lincolnshire Wolds, in the Louth Grimsby and Ancholme catchment, with Wolds Top the highest point at 168m above sea level. Also the River Trent starts on Biddulph Moor in Staffordshire at an altitude of 280m. The Upper River Swale, North Many of the upland catchments are “rapid response areas”, where it’s Yorkshire not always possible to issue flood warnings in time. They pose a big risk to communities living nearby.

Lowland areas The lowland areas run north to south through the Humber river basin district, extending from Scotch Corner down through York, , Doncaster and on to Nottingham. There is a considerable extent of lowland in the east riding of Yorkshire and in north Lincolnshire. Many of these areas are only a few metres above sea level, forming an extensive area of floodplain and wetland areas. In the central Midlands there are the broad, flat plains of the Rivers Trent and Tame. The flood risk in the lowland areas depends on the rainfall in the upper catchments, which leads to peaks in river levels downstream. Much of the lowland area is agricultural land, which is drained by River Ancholme in the Lincolnshire internal drainage boards to reduce the risk flood risk thus protecting Lowlands agricutural productivity.

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Coastal parts of the river basin district and the Humber Estuary The Humber Estuary is the largest estuary on the North Sea coast. It has a very large tidal range – the water level changes by over 7metres between high and low tides in some areas. Almost a quarter of the UKs trade by sea passes through the estuary, with major posts at Grimsby, Immingham, Hull and Goole. The coastline is prone to erosion from the sea along its entire length. In Yorkshire, cliffs are unstable and are receding inland. In north Lincolnshire, sand dune systems and coastal have to be defended to prevent inland areas from flooding.

People living on the coast and by the estuary are at risk from tidal flooding, as shown by the 2013 tidal surge. Some communities are at The Humber Estuary risk from flooding that happens due to ‘tide locking’. This is when the tide is coming in on a tidal river and stops river water flowing out to sea.

Existing flood risk management in the Humber The Environment Agency operates a flood warning service for flood risk areas. Almost 300,000 properties in the Humber river basin district receive direct flood warnings. Of these, 106,000 have fully registered, which means people can specifically ask to receive warnings via text, mobile or to additional phone numbers. 183,300 have been automatically added to the flood warning service and will receive a warning via a landline telephone. Risk management authorities also work closely with local communities to help them prepare for and recover from floods. Coastal and tidal defences already protect many thousands of properties, including at Grimsby Docks, in Hull city and in towns along the Humber Estuary. The total length of coastal and tidal defences across the river basin district is approximately 2,100km. Across the country Government is investing £2.3bn on 1,500 flood defence schemes between 2015 -2021. Thousands of properties in the river basin district benefit from river flood risk management schemes, including homes and businesses in Lower Tame, Leicestershire and Grimsby. Further schemes are ongoing or planned in the Humber district. The National Flood Resilience Review will look at temporary and flexible responses as well as hard flood defences beyond the measures included in the Flood Risk Management Plan. The Local Flood Partnerships in Cumbria and Yorkshire, set up in response to the December floods will bring together a wide range of organisations and communities to develop Flood Action Plans. These actions will complement the measures in the FRMP and the learning from this approach will be shared across the country. The Environment Agency and local councils also manage and reduce flood risk through the planning system. Planning officers use advice from the Environment Agency to assess new developments to make sure they are appropriate and safe, and will not increase the risk of flooding elsewhere. Flooding from culverted rivers (rivers that have been redirected underground through tunnels) can be a big problem in the Humber. There are over 320 culverts across the river basin district. The Environment Agency and LLFAs inspect, clear and repair culverts, and take enforcement action in locations where flooding can have the most significant impact. Where appropriate, risk management authorities encourage landowners and local planning authorities to remove unneeded culverts.

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Figure 1: Catchments and FRAs in the Humber river basin district

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Roles and responsibilities Managing flood and coastal risks, and particularly local flood risks, requires risk management authorities to work together. In the Humber, the Environment Agency works with 36 LLFAs, local councils, Highways England, Yorkshire Water Services, Anglian Water, Severn Trent Water and United Utilities to manage flood risk. The roles and responsibilities of these risk management authorities are summarised in Table 1. Table 1: risk management authorities by risk source Risk from: Environment Lead Local District Water Highway Internal Agency Flood /Borough company authority drainage Authority council board Main river  The sea  Surface water   Surface water (from highway)  Sewer flooding  Ordinary watercourse    Groundwater  Reservoirs * * * * * * Coastal Erosion   Strategic overview of all  sources of flood risk (and the coast)

*Please note RMAs have different responsibilities for reservoirs such as regulation, asset management and flood incident response It should be noted that LLFAs are responsible for developing a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy covering the sources of flooding they are responsible for. These Strategies, available on the relevant Local Authority website, provide an assessment of flood risk within their administrative area along with the objectives and measures they will deliver to manage this risk. In developing the Humber FRMP, a number of LLFAs have included their objectives and measures. However, the local flood risk management strategies should be read in conjunction with the Humber FRMP. Objectives of the Humber FRMP You can see the objectives for the whole river basin district in Part A of the FRMP. The FRMP objectives build on the aims and objectives in the ‘National flood and coastal erosion strategy for England’ (www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management-strategy-for- england). Measures for 2015 to 2021 The actions in the Humber FRMP are known as “measures”. These are specific projects or investigations to work towards achieving the objectives outlined above. They explain where and how the Environment Agency, and in some instances, other risk management authorities will focus effort and investment to reduce flood risk.

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The measures are grouped under 4 categories: preventing risk, preparing for risk, protecting from risk, and recovery and review. You can read more about the categories in Section 5 of Part A in the Humber FRMP. It should be noted that in response to the winter 2015/16 flooding in Yorkshire, a review is being carried out by all responsible RMAs. As well as this, a number of independent reviews have been commissioned. The recommendations of these reviews will be taken forward, where appropriate. Examples from the Humber river basin district for each category Preventing risk There are 396 measures to prevent risk in the Humber FRMP. Measures in the Humber river basin district to prevent flood risk include:  ensuring new development is appropriate, safe and does not increase flood risk elsewhere  assessing flood risk further by developing strategies, monitoring programmes and improving modelling  considering opportunities for storing water upstream of towns and cities Preparing for risk There are 280 measures to prepare for risk in the Humber FRMP. As well as reducing flood risk through schemes and appropriate maintenance, risk management authorities will continue to work with communities to help them understand their risk and how to prepare effectively. This is particularly important in ‘rapid response areas’, where river levels rise very quickly after rainfall. For example in the Aire and Calder catchment, there are 53 rapid response areas. In the Derwent Derbyshire catchment, the communities of Bradwell, Castleton, Cressbrook, Grindleford, Stoney Middleton, Rowsley, Buxton, Ashford-in-the-Water, Bakewell and Matlock are rapid response areas. It is still a priority for all risk management authorities to warn and inform communities and businesses about flooding, and to work together to improve emergency response. The Environment Agency will continue to invest in improving real- time rainfall and river level data to provide a quality flood warning service. Protecting from risk There are 390 actions in the Humber FRMP to reduce the likelihood of flooding affecting people and property in specific locations or in locations that have flooded in the past. Examples of large flood defence schemes in the Humber river basin district are in Wakefield, Todmorden, Sheffield, Stoke-on-Trent and Rugeley. The Environment Agency and local councils will also continue to maintain watercourses that pose the most significant flood risk to people, responding quickly to incidents and clearing obstructions from screens and culverts during heavy rainfall. Along the coast, risk management authorities will implement the River Tyne to Flamborough Head and Flamborough Head to Gibraltar Point Shoreline Management Plans numbers 2 and 3 to manage coastal erosion and tidal flooding (www.gov.uk/government/publications/shoreline-management- plans-smps). Recovery and review Over the next 6 years, risk management authorities will continue to carry out investigations after flooding, produce a recommendations report and help communities to recover from floods more quickly. There are 48 measures in the Humber FRMP to review events and help communities to recover after flooding. The National Flood Resilience Review and Local Flood Action Plans may also give rise to actions that support the recovery of communities.

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Further information on measures in the Humber river basin district For details of measures in each catchment in the FRMP see Part B of the FRMP. You can also see a full list of all measures and the categories they relate to in Part C of the FRMP. Monitoring progress There is no guarantee that every measure in the FRMP will be completed. This is because priorities and funding change and new data may become available, which may mean the programme changes. Over the 6-year cycle, the Environment Agency will monitor the measures and report on progress. All the risk management authorities involved will work together to achieve the objectives, reduce costs and get the best return on investment. How we listened to your comments We consulted on the FRMP from 10 October 2014 to 31 January 2015. As a result of feedback from the consultation we have improved the information on existing flood risk management and made clearer links between the FRMP and river basin management plans. We’ve also shown more clearly how flood management actions help to improve the environment. We’ve split the FRMP into 4 sections to make it easier to understand. The sections are as follows: Section Who is it for? Summary document For people who want a high level overview of the plan. Part A: background and river For people who need some legislative background and river basin basin district-wide information district-wide information. For people who want the detail of each of the catchments, flood risk Part B: catchment summaries areas and other strategic areas, and flooding statistics for the river basin district. For people who want to see the measures for implementation across Part C: appendices the river basin district and the measures for individual communities. Further information about your flood risk Check your current risk of flooding on our live flood warning service (www.gov.uk/check-if-youre-at-risk-of- flooding) Check your risk of flooding from different sources on our interactive maps (www.gov.uk/prepare-for-a- flood/find-out-if-youre-at-risk) Find FRMPs for other river basin districts (www.gov.uk/government/collections/flood-risk-management-plans- frmps-2015-to-2021) Look at the river basin management plan (RBMP) for your area (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/river-basin-management-plans-2015).

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Partners This is a joint plan prepared in partnership with the following risk management authorities:

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