Climate change "no longer a future problem" as floods strike again
Plus: The latest headlines and a hunt for new Eden Project boss
Hello and welcome to the 83rd edition of The Lancashire Lead. This is the first send of 2025 and from now on, the newsletter will be sent each morning instead of evenings.
While there is much to look forward to, we today focus on an all too familiar issue across various parts of Lancashire - flooding. As heavy rain battered the region around the turn of the new year, infrastructure once again failed to cope and it led to questions of why, will this keep happening, and what comes next - I’ve looked to answer these after paying a visit to Croston, a village which has felt the effects of flooding more harshly than most.
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“It’s not how I wanted to start the new year”
As firefighters pumped water from the streets and helped carry sodden carpets and furniture from flooded homes, Croston resident Andy Hokins admitted he was “one of the lucky ones”.
Once again, the tiny Lancashire village had been left under deep water as New Year’s Day turned into another miserable and fearful experience.
The village, located near Chorley and Leyland, made national headlines in 2015 when Boxing Day floods were so severe the army was deployed to deliver huge sandbags via helicopter as part of the response. Croston became a familiar sight on TV screens, while a news site in Belfast of all places described it as being “like a warzone”.
The multi-million response to that event included a £7m project flood defence improvement which involved an upstream flood storage area on the River Yarrow and a 600m earth embankment capable of retaining up to 1.3 million m3 of water. It involves a dam system in which barriers are raised in stages to respond to rising water levels.
But fast forward to the first day of 2025 and a familiar problem struck once more. As The Lancashire Lead visited on New Year’s Day, Andy explained his property was just outside of the ones affected.
Looking over the water blocking roads in two directions, Andy explained the street signs opposite the road had become the barometer for danger. “If it reaches as high as the sign, we know it’s bad. This morning, it was two or three bricks below”.
Like so many others, Andy has seen the effects of flooding damage to his home and concern was raised when the Environment Agency contacted homes in the area with a flood warning on New Year’s Eve. By 5am the next day, he could see water flowing outside his house.
“It’s not how I wanted to start the new year,” he says with a sigh.
Andy was among the many villagers who donned wellies and walked through the village centre, past the closed pubs and busy fire crews to check in on others. One resident, he said, had been flooded eight times during his time in the village.
One of the remarkable things about the community’s response was how entirely normal it seemed to them. Those working on the recovery were inundated with offers of tea or coffee while children jumped the drainage pipes on scooters, bikes were ridden through huge puddles for fun, and families took a stroll to see the extent of the damage.
Even the children’s play area was in constant use despite the floor being literally underwater. All the while, “did you escape?” was a greeting heard on more than one occasion as villagers greeted one another.
But why had the flooding occurred again and could anything be done to prevent it?
For many in the village, the high water levels in the River Douglas, which runs through the village and along the main street, were a sign of danger and a sure sign that more needs to be done to protect their homes.
Parish councillor and flood action group member Paul Sloan is among those who believes more needs to be done to improve the response to the threat of flooding. He told The Lancashire Lead:
“I think it was definitely worse than the previous ones we’ve had since the Boxing Day ones. It was nowhere near as catastrophic but even one house flooded is more than it should be.
“In the past, we’ve had heavy rainfall but not had the effects like this. The feeling from the Flood Action Group is that we’ve had problems because the river’s so full. Don’t get me wrong, the barrage has saved a lot of homes. It certainly has had an impact and I’m positive there have been occasions where it has already prevented flooding but of course that’s no consolation to anyone who’s got hit on this occasion.”
Like others, Paul is aware of the improvements which have been made since 2015 but also painfully conscious of the fact that more needs to be done - and will need to be done - to prevent future incidents.
“From what I’m hearing, we’re going to be hit with these extreme weather events and there is a belief that if we don’t look at the whole catchment area there is going to be more flooding.
According to the Environment Agency however, this week’s flooding issues were not linked to the rivers or any of its responsibilities. A spokesperson told The Lancashire Lead that “our flood basin and assets in Croston worked as designed and did not cause flooding” and that its reservoir was three-quarters full as a result of the heavy rainfall.
Instead, they said it was more likely an issue with surface water and therefore the responsibility of Lancashire County Council. The spokesperson added that it had received no reports of flooded properties and said anyone affected should do so via its 24/7 incident hotline on 0800 807060.
Meanwhile, the issue of climate change hangs heavy over the wider issue. While Croston was less badly hit than previously, nearby Walton-Le-Dale suffered extensive flooding issues, as did other areas across the north west.
Journalist Mike Scott has spent 30 years covering issues including business, the environment and climate change for likes of the Financial Times, the Guardian and Reuters. He told The Lancashire Lead that the problems being seen now are only going to become more common and more extreme:
“It’s a massive issue and it is going to get worse. Climate change is no longer a future problem, it’s definitely with us now.
“We are seeing the impact. The floods here are just one part of that. Look at the floods in Valencia, cars being swept down the road in Riyadh, a third of Pakistan being flooded.”
But while the problems are accelerating, how do, or even can, those responsible for protecting communities keep up?
“Much of the infrastructure wasn’t being built for the challenges we have today. Infrastructure by definition is slow moving - these things are built to last years but if the climate progresses faster than that, it’s a serious problem.
“It’s definitely happening quicker than people anticipated. In terms of what’s happening, that’s all well predicted by the scientists but I think they thought it would be a few decades down the line.”
As ever, solutions are harder to find than problems.
“When it comes to flooding it’s difficult to know what to do and where because if there impact of flooding is in one place, the source of it can be tens or hundreds of miles away downstream so the people who are suffering are not the decision makers. It makes it difficult to find and agree on those solutions.”
Defending criticisms of its lack of preparation for such events, the government’s Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) pointed to a commitment to invest £2.4bn over the next two years to protect homes and businesses, with a consultation to be launched this year on a new strategic vision for floods investment.
In September, a first meeting of the Floods Resilience Taskforce was convened and discussed how to speed up and coordinate flooding preparation and resilience between central government, local authorities, and community responders.
Floods Minister Emma Hardy said:
"My thoughts are with the people, businesses and communities impacted by flooding, particularly those in and around Greater Manchester and Cheshire.
"I have met with officials from the Environment Agency to ensure that impacted communities are receiving the necessary support and I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the vital work that the Environment Agency and emergency services are doing to keep people safe.
"The Government is working at pace to accelerate the building of flood defences through our new Floods Resilience Taskforce, so we can continue to protect people and their homes."
For the time being, those who live in areas such as Croston will live knowing that one bout of bad weather can prove catastrophic. Urging everyone affected to contact the flood authority and help guide their responses, Paul added:
“I think it is a case of living in fear because you’re waiting for your home to be inundated. I was talking to one woman on New Year’s Day who came out of her home on two or three occasions and she was determined not to because she doesn’t want to have to. That’s the real tragedy.”
Responding to the latest flooding issues Cllr Rupert Swarbrick, cabinet member for Highways and Transport, Lancashire County Council, told The Lancashire Lead:
"As a Lead Local Flood Authority, we are responsible for developing and implementing flood risk management strategies, maintaining and improving drainage systems, and coordinating with various agencies to ensure effective response and recovery efforts.
"We take this role extremely seriously and we also engage with local communities to raise awareness about flood risks and provide guidance on preparedness measures.
"As a county council, we ensure that our highway drainage works as well as it possibly can to remove rainwater from the local roads and footways, and we encourage residents and local businesses to help themselves and their neighbours to protect their own property and manage flood risks.
"However, during heavy rainfall the drainage system and the water courses they feed into can quickly become overwhelmed as there is nowhere for the water to go.”
You can find advice on the Flood Hub website here: Household | The Flood Hub.
🪧 Vital multi-million pound plans to extend sea defence works in Anchorsholme are set to begin but residents have started a petition against the use of land outside their homes (Blackpool Gazette).
🚯 Dozens of people attended a peaceful protest in Bacup to rally against construction of a waste transfer facility (Lancashire Telegraph).
A first Eden Project Morecambe update of 2025 comes courtesy of Beyond Radio which reports on the hunt for a new project director to lead the development of the Lancashire site and others which are to follow.
The Morecambe-based role comes with a six-figure salary and the new appointee would be "responsible for project leadership and management that assures delivery of design, construction and experience outcomes" for the new site.
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We’ll be back with a new edition on Wednesday.
