Defences to remain in place this weekend ahead of Storm Dennis

City of York Council will be keeping all temporary measures in place and will be monitoring all flood defences ahead of Storm Dennis, which is expected this weekend.

The following flood defences will remain in place in line with the council’s flood plan throughout this week as teams assess the potential impacts of Storm Dennis over the weekend.

These include:

  • Flood signage has been deployed
  • New A19 defences were successful and kept this main route into York open
  • B1222 was closed due to flood water
  • Bus routes diversions are in place for Skeldergate, Acaster Malbis and Naburn
  • Clementhorpe, Tower Gardens, Peckitt Street and Tower Place temporary defences put in place
  • St George’s field and Esplanade car-park were closed with all others remaining open
  • Rowntree Park was closed.
Image

It is unlikely that the riverside paths will be fully accessible but they will be cleansed after river levels return to 2.5m.

Following on from Storm Ciara, the River Ouse peaked at 4.35m (0.85m lower than the 2015 peak) at 6am on 11 February. No properties have flooded internally and defences installed since 2015 have been operating effectively.

Stay up-to-date with the latest storm information related to York at www.york.gov.uk/FloodUpdate11022020

Cllr Paula Widdowson, Executive Member for Climate at City of York Council, said:

“I’d like to thank all our staff and key services, such as the Environment Agency and emergency services, who have worked round the clock to ensure York remains open and safe for all our residents and visitors.

“We’ll be keeping a close watch on rainfall and wind strength over the coming days and into the weekend, with Storm Dennis forecast to arrive on Saturday 15 February, with heavy rain and strong winds.  The council will work with partners to take action should river levels rise again.

“River levels are likely to rise over the weekend and into early next week. So, all temporary measures will be kept in place and monitored during this period.

“We have an exciting weekend of events taking place here in York, including the much loved JORVIK Viking Festival, which has announced new venues to avoid potential damage from the storm. We look forward to welcoming lots of residents and visitors to our beautiful city this weekend!”