Concern for the elderly as Northampton flood sirens removed and road closures in place

All flood sirens in Northampton are being removed from Monday (March 2) and replaced with an electronic warning service.

This means temporary road closures will be in place between 9.30am and 3pm from Monday (March 2) until Friday (March 6) while works commence.

Sirens are currently placed in St James Road, Stanley Road, Towcester Road, Steene Street and London Road.

They were installed in 1998 as a temporary measure while improvements were made to river defences after 2,000 local properties were affected by flooding but the Environment Agency has said they have never been used, just tested.

Road closures will be taking place in part of Muscott Street between numbers 2-12, Steene Street, part of Stanley Road between numbers 13-33, and Southfield Avenue from the junction with London Road.

The Environment Agency now refers to the sirens as ‘outdated’ and says they are ‘less reliable’ due to factors such as ‘wind direction and double-glazing’.

The new warning service will replace a number sirens that are currently located around the town in St James' and Far Cotton, which are both areas that have flooded badly in recent years.

The new service will allow residents to sign up for free and receive warnings via landline, mobile, email or text.

In May 2018, filthy floodwater poured into the homes, businesses and takeaways of St Leonard's road when a sudden thunderstorm unleashed a month's worth of rain in two hours. A report - commissioned by NCC in January 2019 - said although blocked drains made the floods worse, it would have happened 'regardless' as the street's drains were not fit to handle the sudden downpour and strewn rubbish from bin bags left outside made the problem worse.

But councillor Graham Walker (Con, Delapre and Briar Hill) said he has concerns for the older generation who are not as technologically savvy.

He said: "I have had quite a few messages asking 'what's going on?' and 'how are we going to get messages to the older people who are not on the internet?'

"I think [The Enviroment Agency] are forgetting that some of the older people who live in this area are not up to date like some of us are today and some of them are quite worried.

"We knew they were going to close the roads to take the sirens down but I think the major concerns are a lot of people wouldn't know [there was a flood] unless the sirens are going off and I'm also concerned for them."

An Environment Agency spokeswoman said: “Even if you don’t have the internet, all you need is a mobile phone or landline in order to register for free flood warnings.

"Simply call 0345 988 1188 and you can choose how you want to receive the warnings – email is an option, but you can also sign up to receive a call to your mobile or landline number, or a text, and you can even choose more than one of these options.”