Sefton Council has worked with its partners over the last 48 hours responding to flooding as a result of heavy rainfall from Storm Christoph.

Yesterday the River Alt burst its banks resulting in standing water in properties in Maghull and Lydiate, with Council teams working alongside members of the emergency services and volunteers to help and support the residents affected.

Later on Wednesday, water levels reached dangerously high levels and a severe flood warning was put in place in the Maghull area by the Environment Agency.

The Council established a temporary rest centre at Meadows Leisure Centre. Ten residents affected by the flood warning were supported at the centre before safely returning to their homes in the early hours of Thursday morning, as the threat level was dropped by the Environment Agency.

Today, the Council’s flood officers have moved into recovery phase and continue to check in on members of the community as well as assessing the affected areas as to the immediate and longer-term impact of the flooding.

Sefton Council’s Leader Cllr Ian Maher, Chief Executive Dwayne Johnson and Andy Martin from the Council’s flood team met with colleagues from the Environment Agency to thank them for their hard work over the past couple of days, and to check on the worst affected areas of Maghull.

Leader of Sefton Council Ian Maher said:

“From local councillors and volunteers knocking at doors to inform and mobilise residents, to colleagues attending different scenes in the area to help tackle flooding, it was really impressive to see the speed with which all of the organisations came together over the past 24 hours in a highly critical situation.

“The amount of rainfall we’ve seen across Sefton in the past few days has really been unprecedented, causing issues right across the Borough. Our dedicated staff, alongside many local partners, continue to assess what needs to be done in the immediate aftermath and will be looking to address longer-term concerns in the affected areas.

“Thankfully the weather conditions have calmed, and it will be a relief for our residents to know that there are no longer any severe warnings in place.”

The Council has distributed its sandbag supplies to as many residents as possible, and is urging anyone with flood water in their property to report this to flooding@sefton.gov.uk with any photos they may have.

Reporting incidents will ensure that the Council can understand the extent and location of properties affected by the most recent flooding and allow officers to work with other flood risk management authorities to help reduce the risks and consequences of such incidents.

Some roads remain closed or impassable across the Borough, and people are urged to only go out if it’s absolutely essential. Accidents happen in fast flowing water so avoid walking or driving near floodwater and residents are reminded that there could be hidden dangers like sharp objects or raised manhole covers beneath the water.

Anyone concerned about flooding can find further advice on flood risk and what to do to protect their property on the Flood Hub website.

ENDS