Twickenham locals say the river has become unpredictable.
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A Richmond councillor says that he’s never seen the water level so high, after Twickenham Riverside flooded twice daily for the past week.
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Green Councillor Chas Warlow, who has lived in the borough for 17 years, says that Teddington Weir has had to remain open “for such a long period” to manage the vast quantity of water flowing along the Thames. He says it has led to increased flooding in the area which has left cars submerged.
A combination of heavy rainfall with the seasonal high tides means that the public roads and paths have become unusable. Pubs and local businesses have been on high alert.
Earlier in the week, the Met Office issued a yellow rain warning and the Environmental Agency have issued multiple flood alerts.
Locals walking their dogs said that the river had become unpredictable and volatile, though they were aware of how the river tides affected the water levels.
The Liberal-Democrats hold a majority on Richmond Council. They say that although there are many signs placed along the river warning residents of flooding, the high-water levels “have taken some people by surprise.”
City News spoke to the chair of the environment committee, Councillor Julia Neden-Watts. She says that to effectively combat flooding adequate funds and expertise are needed, which are often “extremely overstretched.”
“Local authorities are underfunded… flood officers have to work on planning applications and going through their statutory duties before they look at designing schemes to help address the challenges of the future.”
However, the council have taken practical steps to address the issue of flooding in the borough. Just last week, Richmond Council adopted a new ‘Local Flood Risk Management Strategy & Action plan’.
The council are also a part of the Thames Estuary 2100 Adaptation, which works alongside other London boroughs to assess and adapt the Thames’ flood defences.
The flooding has flared up debates about council funding and climate change. Credit: Hannah Massoudi/City News
What about the future?
Multiple councillors have raised concerns that rising flooding incidences are part of the bigger problem of climate change. Councillor Warlow said that Richmond Council were not “doing enough about climate change.”
In response, Councillor Neden-Watts says “it’s inevitable that the flood risk is going to increase”. She said the council are proactively “working out where the risk is greatest, where the most vulnerable people are located and how can we implement solutions that work”.
Climate change will affect the frequency and severity of flooding in London over the next 20 years says Professor Hannah Cloke, a UK government flood defences adviser.
Large parts of London are built on a floodplain. With a projected rise in extreme downpours and a metre rise in sea levels by 2100, Professor Cloke says, “London is not very well prepared. Climate change is making every type of flooding worse.”
The greatest defence Richmond have against flooding is the Thames Barrier. But Professor Cloke says that it cannot be relied upon for the residents of Richmond.
“The Thames Barrier is going to stop closing for river flooding by 2035, which will affect Richmond and Twickenham because its coming to the end of its lifespan. We are going to have to update defences and really make those people resilient to the floods that do come.”
Richmond Council is aware of the changes to the Thames Barrier. They say they’re exploring new “collective approaches” with other London boroughs.
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HeadlineFlooding in Twickenham is ‘the worst it’s been in living memory’, says Green councillor
Short HeadlineTwickenham flooding is 'the worst in living memory'
StandfirstTwickenham Riverside has flooded twice every day this week.
A Richmond councillor says that he’s never seen the water level so high, after Twickenham Riverside flooded twice daily for the past week.
Listen to this article – powered by AI:
Green Councillor Chas Warlow, who has lived in the borough for 17 years, says that Teddington Weir has had to remain open “for such a long period” to manage the vast quantity of water flowing along the Thames. He says it has led to increased flooding in the area which has left cars submerged.
A combination of heavy rainfall with the seasonal high tides means that the public roads and paths have become unusable. Pubs and local businesses have been on high alert.
Earlier in the week, the Met Office issued a yellow rain warning and the Environmental Agency have issued multiple flood alerts.
Locals walking their dogs said that the river had become unpredictable and volatile, though they were aware of how the river tides affected the water levels.
The Liberal-Democrats hold a majority on Richmond Council. They say that although there are many signs placed along the river warning residents of flooding, the high-water levels “have taken some people by surprise.”
City News spoke to the chair of the environment committee, Councillor Julia Neden-Watts. She says that to effectively combat flooding adequate funds and expertise are needed, which are often “extremely overstretched.”
“Local authorities are underfunded… flood officers have to work on planning applications and going through their statutory duties before they look at designing schemes to help address the challenges of the future.”
However, the council have taken practical steps to address the issue of flooding in the borough. Just last week, Richmond Council adopted a new ‘Local Flood Risk Management Strategy & Action plan’.
The council are also a part of the Thames Estuary 2100 Adaptation, which works alongside other London boroughs to assess and adapt the Thames’ flood defences.
The flooding has flared up debates about council funding and climate change. Credit: Hannah Massoudi/City News
What about the future?
Multiple councillors have raised concerns that rising flooding incidences are part of the bigger problem of climate change. Councillor Warlow said that Richmond Council were not “doing enough about climate change.”
In response, Councillor Neden-Watts says “it’s inevitable that the flood risk is going to increase”. She said the council are proactively “working out where the risk is greatest, where the most vulnerable people are located and how can we implement solutions that work”.
Climate change will affect the frequency and severity of flooding in London over the next 20 years says Professor Hannah Cloke, a UK government flood defences adviser.
Large parts of London are built on a floodplain. With a projected rise in extreme downpours and a metre rise in sea levels by 2100, Professor Cloke says, “London is not very well prepared. Climate change is making every type of flooding worse.”
The greatest defence Richmond have against flooding is the Thames Barrier. But Professor Cloke says that it cannot be relied upon for the residents of Richmond.
“The Thames Barrier is going to stop closing for river flooding by 2035, which will affect Richmond and Twickenham because its coming to the end of its lifespan. We are going to have to update defences and really make those people resilient to the floods that do come.”
Richmond Council is aware of the changes to the Thames Barrier. They say they’re exploring new “collective approaches” with other London boroughs.
