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Melton En v ir o n m e n t Borough ENGLISH defro^ A g e n c y (D Council NATURE En v ir o n m e n t A g e n c y NATIONAL LIBRARY & INFORMATION SERVICE MIDLANDS REGION Olton Court, 10 Warwick Road Olton. Solihull B92 7HX The control structure Foreword by Councillor David Wright, Chairman: Rural, Economic and To complete this major flood alleviation scheme from a Environmental Affairs Committee, Melton Borough Council standing start on a Site of Special Scientific Interest and next to a main railway line, in less than five years is a Melton Mowbray residents have been unfortunate to remarkable achievement which I, for one, and the have suffered six serious flooding incidents in the five years people of Melton Mowbray, will always be indebted. since Easter 1998. 164 properties in Melton flooded at Easter 1998, many again the following Christmas day and again just three weeks after that. There have been a number of 'near misses' since. Melton Borough Council has always attempted to be as constructive as possible, there to help local people, because it is well placed to do so; to help not just during the immediacy of a flood emergency, but also resolving problems and issues for the longer term and wherever possible working in partnership with others. So much more can be achieved when organisations work together rather than independently. This is exactly the case here. I know it has been hard work, but there is a real sense of achievement for Melton Borough Council in working with, and supporting the work of, the Environment Agency on the Melton Mowbray Flood Alleviation Scheme. Innovation Innovation through partnership Melton Melton Mowbray flood alleviation scheme .CL ■C B EB t0 ex. • c 3 1 -c *o c o — 5 o 5 Introduction c0 1 2 The historic market town of The town has developed around the Melton Mowbray is situated in the confluence of the River Eye, north east of Leicestershire and has a Scalford Brook and Thorpe Brook population of over 25,000 people. which join together in the town to Melton Mowbray is home to form the River Wreake. manufacturers, and research and The River Wreake is the principal educational institutions of national tributary of the River Soar, which it importance. The town has a long joins at Cossington, south-east of established association with pork pies Loughborough approximately 24km and Stilton cheese. There is also a downstream of Melton Mowbray. long history of flooding. j * imln1 1 Ti 3; .3 3 | % ' * la* & History of flooding Flooding has occurred frequently in In the houses there, the water rose This rainfall was not exceptional, Melton Mowbray and surrounding so high that it swam the ornaments but it fell onto land that was already villages, with records dating back to off the chimney pieces in the rooms saturated and immediately ran off into 1828. On average, flooding has on the ground floor'. rivers and brooks whose flows were occurred approximately once every already high for the time of year. In August 1922, nearly four inches of five to six years. The worst recorded rain fell in 24 hours causing extensive The area that flooded was extensive. instances were in 1852, 1875, 1880, flooding. Huge volumes of water As well as significant flooding to 1882, 1897, 1900, 1922, 1932, 1954, flowed through the town. At its agricultural land downstream of the 1974, 1975 and 1998. height there was reported to be ten town, severe flooding was In November 1852, 2 inches of feet of water at the lowest part of experienced in Melton Mowbray itself. rain fell in Leicestershire in 24 hours. Burton Street. A relief fund was Here, the flooding was mainly caused At Melton Mowbray, 'many sheep opened in the town in order to assist by the River Eye spilling out of its and pigs were washed away and at some of the poorest sufferers. banks at the confluence with the Frisby on the Wreake the flood was Scalford and Thorpe Brooks. Some In Easter 1998, England and Wales greater than any the oldest inhabitant streets were up to a metre under were hit by one of the worst flood can remember'. water and 164 properties were events in living memory. The Midlands flooded in the town. This flooding has In July 1875, heavy and incessant suffered unusual meteorological since been categorised as a 1 in 50* rain added to already swollen streams conditions and Melton Mowbray was year flood event. in the area. The Scalford Brook and on the northernmost edge of the the River Wreake were 'swollen rainfall. Although the actual rainfall in The factory units of Pedigree to an extent unsurpassed in the Melton Mowbray was not as great as Masterfoods, one of the country's memory of any person living in in some other areas, 56mm of rainfall major suppliers of pet foods, were Melton Mowbray'. 'The rise of water in 24 hours was recorded at the amongst industrial premises flooded. in the Thorpe End was not only such Agency's rain gauge at Whissendine, Indeed, had the works not been on a that had never been known before, upstream of Melton Mowbray. holiday shutdown at the time of the but was so fearfully sudden as to give Easter 1998 floods, the financial losses no time for preparation. At its to the company would have been highest the water was just up to the much higher. Peacock Inn in Sherard Street. Innovation Innovation through partnership Left Easter 1998 • floods ore categorised by their site and the frequency with which they con be expected to occur. A 1 in 5 year flood is one that has a 20% chance of happening in any year - this Is a relatively minor flood. A I in 100 year flood has only a 196 chance of happening in any year, but its effects can be enormous. Melton Mowbray flood alleviation scheme Previous flood alleviation schemes on the River Wreake Between 1967 and 1969 the However, it was not considered to be A number of schemes have been former Trent River Authority carried economically viable to carry out the carried out on other local out pioneer improvement works full scheme. Subsequently, during the watercourses to reduce water levels in Innovation Innovation through partnership involving the removal of shoals and 1980s, some channel dredging and Melton Mowbray in minor flood tree clearance. re-sectioning work was carried out as events, eg. Scalford Dam on Scalford part of a maintenance programme Brook which controls the rate of Although the town's historic mills are no to increase the channel capacity at discharge from this watercourse into longer used and the navigation of the lower flows and to reduce the Melton town centre. river has long since been abandoned, frequency of flooding. weirs still remain and the resultant high water levels in the river give rise to poor In the late 1980s, Frisby balancing land drainage conditions and cause lakes were constructed downstream of frequent flooding of the washland. In Melton Mowbray. Here, a series of the late 1970s, these conditions worked out gravel pits were utilised to prompted the former Severn Trent provide an off-line water storage area Water Authority to investigate and to protect the lower reaches of the prepare an improvement scheme for the River Wreake from frequent flooding. River Wreake. The lake system is designed to contain sufficient water to provide a Melton Melton Mowbray flood alleviation scheme 1 in 5 year standard of protection to areas downstream of Frisby. Below Frisby balancing lake Background to the scheme Following the Easter 1998 floods, over 250 properties downstream the Environment Agency started a on the River Wreake were at risk from feasibility study to investigate whether a 1 in 100 year flood event. an alleviation scheme to cope with A computer model was used to such severe conditions was practical. identify the key factors affecting While this was taking place, the flood flooding and to investigate a warning service for Melton Mowbray variety of options for flood alleviation was extended so that in times of in Melton Mowbray. flood, residents could have a better chance of protecting their property Options investigated included and possessions. upstream work to control the flow, improvements to weirs and sluices, The assessment of flood risk in Melton dredging the channel, floodbanks or identified that approximately 400 walls, relief channels and providing residential, commercial and industrial additional capacity at a number of properties in the town, (including bridges on the river. schools and the railway station) and Partnerships and funding The Melton Mowbray Flood Alleviation Scheme was approved and financed by the Regional Flood Defence Committee. Contributions were made by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in the form of Grant Aid. In partnership with Melton Borough Council, the Environment Agency promoted a private funding venture Innovation through partnership with local businesses to cover a proportion of the construction costs. Left The Ham Bridge Silt trap Mowbray flood alleviation scheme Consultation A scheme cannot be developed without Extensive consultations were carried out considering the effects it may have on the local with a wide range of organisations, population, landowners and occupiers and any groups and individuals including local Innovation Innovation through partnership special interests in the area such as archaeology, authorities. Government agencies, public utilities, nature conservation and recreation. landowners, wildlife groups, local interest groups, members of the public etc. Detailed consultation with all interested parties took place during the preparation of The main issues covered during the consultation the scheme.