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River flooding in an MEDC - Morpeth floods of 2008
Map of 2008 Morpeth Floods
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Background to the Morpeth Floods

Morpeth is an ancient market town situated in a loop of the river Wansbeck in the northeast of England about 15 miles north of Newcastle upon Tyne and 12 miles west from the North Sea. The physical form of the town with its existing street patterns was established in mediaeval times and its motto is “Inter Sylvas et Flumina Habitans” - "Living amid the Woods and Waters". Previous flooding events occurred in 1863, 1876, 1877, 1878, 1881, 1886, 1898, 1900, 1903, 1924, 1963 and 1968 (Cotting Burn). Following the 1963 flood, a flood defence scheme was established. Flood walls were erected on the north bank to protect the main business district. Housing properties at Middle Greens on the south bank were also protected by flood walls. When the Wansbeck swelled on the 6th and 7th September 2008, the floodwater simply flowed over the top of the defences, which were not high enough to hold back the volume of water.

Rainfall

The flood is currently estimated to have been a 1 in 115 year event. Prolonged rainfall coincided with the flood peak from higher areas of the catchment which led to a peak water level of 3.99 metres was recorded in the river channel, the biggest flow ever recorded in the Wansbeck. The Environment Agency recorded 150 millimetres of precipitation falling in the Wansbeck catchment between Friday 5 September and Saturday 6 September.  Figures suggest that in Morpeth alone there was 86 millimetres of rain compared to an average of 74 millimetres for a month. The huge volume of water caused the drainage system to back up, plus Oldgate Bridge obstructed the flow.

Housing

Several houses along the banks of the Wansbeck date back to the 14th century, but many buildings near the town's main thoroughfare, Bridge Street, were built in the 1970s and 1980s – after the town was devastated by the flood of 1963. The Environment Agency is strongly opposed to building on flood plains, which puts properties at constant risk of flooding. Building in these areas can also damage a river's natural drainage ground and push floodwater further downstream.  Of the 1,062 properties sited on the flood plain, only 62 escaped the destruction inflicted by the rising Wansbeck at the weekend.

Physical Factors

The River Wansbeck Valley is narrow and steep and as a consequence has exaggerated amounts of surface runoff. Based on three storm events, a reliable flow gauge located upstream of Morpeth at the confluence of the Wansbeck and Font showed that 56% of rainfall is converted into surface runoff. Because the soil was already saturated as a result of the wet summer, the effect of surface runoff was greatly enhanced. Furthermore, increased urbanisation since the 1960s in Morpeth meant that most water falling on the town would have drained directly to the river channel. Other tests investigating the catchment lag time (time lapse between the mid point of storm rainfall and peak river level) indicate that the Wansbeck has a LAG time of only 8 hours. This means that any water falling in the catchment area would have been rapidly converted into channel flow by surface runoff and to a lesser extent by throughflow. This is due to the steepness of the valley and the soil composition


8.Morpeth floods by rgamesby

 

Rainfall in the UK in September 2008

Morpeth Bridge



 
Impacts

During 6 September 2008, more than 400 residents were evacuated.  Shelter was provided in the Town Hall, King Edward VI High School and County Hall. An error made by the Environment Agency's warning system meant that 198 properties in the Middle Greens area of the town did not receive a flood warning. Fire fighters, ambulance crews, the RAF, the RNLI and the British Red Cross were among the emergency services involved in rescue and recovery operations over the weekend. Many residents had to be forced from their homes, and lived in caravans or with relatives as rebuilding took place. More than 1,000 houses were affected when the River Wansbeck burst its banks on Saturday, September 6, 2008.

995 properties in Morpeth town centre were directly affected by the flood water. Early estimates suggest that damages could be over £10 million. On Sunday 7 September, Morpeth Lions Club and the Red Cross launched the Morpeth Flood Disaster Fund and by Wednesday 10 September had raised over £20,000. Farming losses were estimated at over £1million.

At the peak of the flood, Morpeth High Street (Bridge Street) was under 60 centimetres (2.0 ft) of water. Not since 1963 had the main street been flooded. The library suffered severe structural damage due to the heavy debris transported by the river. Such was the extent of the damage that structural engineers were required to test its safety.

Future Management - LONG TERM RESPONSES

Proposed Flood defences for Morpeth

The Environment Agency is proposing the creation of an upstream reservoir to restrict water volumes flowing through the town in the event of flooding.  More flood walls would also be built to prevent the Wansbeck bursting its banks, as happened in 2008 when about 1,000 properties were damaged.  Many parts of Morpeth are already protected from a flood which has a one in 50 chance of happening in the town in any given year, the agency said.  The new walls would be built in areas such as High Stanners and Mitford Road, which are currently undefended.  In the event of flooding, the upstream reservoir - which would hold over one million cubic metres - would only allow through a volume of water manageable by the town centre defences.  The new flood walls would also be "less obtrusive", at up to 1.6m (5ft) tall.  The agency said the new defences would provide protection from a flood that has a one in 115 chance of happening in any given year - the conditions which occurred in September 2008.  These options would  be complemented by improvements to culverts in Morpeth. Increasing the culverts’ capacity should reduce the risk of flooding from Cotting Burn, Church Burn and Postern Burn.

 

Further details of the flood defence works in Morpeth town centre;

They are:

Upstream of Lowford Bridge — Putting a line of upright poles across the river to catch large debris, such as tree trunks, before it reaches Morpeth and causes potential blockages at bridges.

Mitford Road — A flood wall of 0.5m to 1m high between Lowford Bridge and the Skinnery footbridge, through the rear gardens of properties on the riverside, to prevent water flowing down Mitford Road and flooding at the rear of houses. A new surface water drainage system would ensure water does not collect behind the flood wall.

High Stanners — A flood wall along the garden boundary walls on the south side of Lady's Walk, approximately 1.5m above footpath level. Ramps and other access arrangements would allow access over and through the wall.

Between Skinnery footbridge and the Stepping Stones, a wide, shallow embankment, about 1m high, would be built on the existing grass area. At the northern end, a ramp would allow vehicle and pedestrian access.

A current Morpeth Flood Wall

Between the Stepping Stones and Oldgate Bridge, a flood wall along the east side of the road would be between 1m and 1.5m high and allow for pedestrian access. A new surface water drainage system along the defences would also be added.

St Robert's Church, Oldgate Bridge, Oldgate Court and Mathesons Gardens — A low embankment through the grass area between St Robert's Church and the river, approximately 25cm high and landscaped into the surrounding area.

To the rear of the properties adjacent to Oldgate Bridge on the north side, a wall would be built, extending from the river bed to about 50cm above ground level in the gardens.

Between Oldgate Bridge and Mathesons Gardens car park there would be a new flood wall. Near the bridge, this would be about 1.5m high and follow the existing boundary wall. It would extend around the edge of Oldgate Court and would be between 10cm and 60cm high. It would be landscaped to the surrounding area.

Chantry, St George's Church and The Terrace Car Park — A wall would extend from the river bed to approximately 50cm above ground level in the garden between the Chantry and the river.

At St George's Church, it is proposed to replace the wall next to the river. The new flood wall would be approximately 30cm higher than the existing wall.

Between the public toilets and the library, the existing flood wall would be replaced with one approximately 20cm higher.

Low Stanners — Between the library and Stobs Ford Bridge, it is proposed to refurbish the existing flood defence embankment/wall and fill in any low spots. Between Stobs Ford Bridge and the Cotting Burn, the existing embankment would be raised by approximately 25cm.

A new wall along the east side of the Cotting Burn, between Dark Lane and where it reaches the river, would help to keep water in the channel. This wall would be between 0.5m and 1.5m high.

Middle Greens — Some local refurbishment and the raising of low spots in the existing flood wall behind the properties on Goosehill.

Think about it
Visit the Morpeth Flood Action Group


Have a go at the Venn Diagram activity at the base of this page

Then try the diamond rank activity

 

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