New Lowestoft flood defences to be tested today ahead of winter
It's to see how the new barriers will fare against a tidal surge
Lowestoft is to test the strength of its new flood defences in a trial today.
A training exercise will be held between 8.00am and 4.00pm today (Thursday 21 September) to test a section of the new defences and flood gates.
Disruption in the town is expected to be kept to a minimum.
The permanent tidal flood defences will be used in combination with the existing temporary flood barriers to reduce the risk of flooding to the town.
East Suffolk Council says the emergency response against a tidal surge - like one that happened in December 2013 - is tested every year, to ensure the authority can provide the best possible response to the threat of a further North Sea tidal surge.
Where is the exercise happening?
This year the exercise will take place at Hamilton Road, where all the demountable defences will be deployed.
Cllr Kay Yule, East Suffolk’s cabinet member for Planning and Coastal Management said: “It is essential that we regularly test our emergency response to avoid the severity of flooding experienced by people and businesses in 2013.
"If required, the demountable defences and temporary flood barriers are deployed in places around the town where flooding was at its worst at that time. Each year, we carry out a trial deployment to ensure we are ready to face the winter.”
The tidal flood walls began construction in May 2021 and have been built along Hamilton Road, Waveney Road and Station Square to the North and around the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club and South Pier to the South.
The defences on Hamilton Road, Waveney Road and Station Square are made up of a mixture of solid flood walls, demountable defences and flood gates.
Glass flood walls run around the Yacht Club and South Pier to maintain views of the marina and Port.
What happens if there's a tidal surge?
In the event of a tidal surge, all the completed demountable defences and flood gates will be deployed and temporary barriers will be constructed in a position to best protect the most vulnerable areas from flooding.