Environment Agency tells council flood defences in Canning Town and North Woolwich “require significant investment”, reports Nick Clark, Local Democracy Reporter

The River Thames viewed from Pier Road, North Woolwich

Canning Town and North Woolwich could be at risk of flooding without “significant investment” in their flood defences, the Environment Agency has warned.

The government agency’s warning to Newham Council followed a routine inspection of flood defences.

A council spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the authority is “currently in talks with the Environment Agency” to discuss the extent of the work needed and how it could be funded.

The Environment Agency has notified the council that flood defence infrastructure in Canning Town and Pier Road in North Woolwich “requires significant investment”.

That’s according to a risk report presented to councillors on the audit and governance committee on Wednesday, 16th July.

The report says that “if the infrastructure is not enhanced then there is a risk of flooding which could create a large amount of damage to the network”.

It adds that the council’s flood team would “engage with the Environment Agency” to find out if funding to enhance the defences is available.

Canning Town and North Woolwich are both in Flood Zone 2, which means there’s up to a 1% annual risk of flooding from rivers.

A council strategic flood risk assessment in 2023 said that flood defences along the Thames mean these areas are “not at risk of flooding from the Thames”. The defences include flood walls, embankments and engineered high ground.

However, the assessment adds that Canning Town and North Woolwich could flood “if these defences were to fail”.

A council spokesperson said: “As the body responsible for monitoring river wall flood defences the Environment Agency regularly carries out routine inspections.

“Investment is always required to maintain such assets, and as the risk management report makes clear, if the upkeep of the infrastructure is not maintained then there will be a risk of flooding sometime in the future.”

They added: “We are currently in talks with the EA to discuss how this project will be funded. However, since we and the EA have yet to establish the extent of the work that would be required we are unable to give costs.”

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