Council secures £270,000 in Environment Agency funding to tackle Blackbrook flood risk
St Helens Borough Council has successfully secured £270,000 in funding to support vital flood risk management initiatives in one of the borough's most frequently affected areas.
Article date: 17 April 2025
The council secured funding for the West End Road Flood Alleviation Scheme by submitting proposals to the Environment Agency (EA). The council was awarded £155,000 from the Frequently Flooded Allowance (FFA) and £115,000 from the Flood Defence Grant in Aid (FDGiA), combining £85,000 of new grant funding with the previous year's allocation of £30,000, totalling £270,000 for the mitigation scheme.
The money will fund the delivery of new mitigations designed to protect homes, businesses and infrastructure in the West End Road area from the risk of flooding.
The scheme aims to improve resilience by improving natural flood management measures to slow surface water flow and promote natural flooding patterns in the old Contour canal.
Mitigations will include what are known as "leaky dams" - dam-like structures of branches and twigs laid in streams and ditches that reduce downstream flood risk by holding back water upstream within the waterway.
Leaky dams can also force excess water to flood banks upstream in a predictable way, where homes and businesses won't be affected, encouraging natural wet woodlands that store water and provide habitats for plants and wildlife.
Subsequent work will be to create pools within the wet woodland, surrounded by debris dams and small earth bunds, using excavated natural materials to capture river overtopping.
Councillor Seve Gomez-Aspron MBE, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, said:
"We are always searching for potential funding streams that can help us to reduce the impact of severe national weather events, the likes of which brought distress and disruption to our communities at the turn of the year.
"The investment supports our efforts to enhance local resilience against the impact of climate change, alongside the work of key partners in the Environment Agency, waterways organisations and utility companies.
"No measures can eradicate the risk of flooding, but it's hoped that these measures to capture and release water slowly during flood events will reduce the risk and impact to residents and businesses, while enhancing the natural environment of the Site of Special Scientific Interest."
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