Flood defences put to the test on Newcastle's Quayside

A new mobile flood barrier, which would be deployed in emergencies, has been tested on Newcastle's Quayside today.

By Kris Jepson

The 700 metres of temporary flood barriers were erected as part of a live training exercise by the Environment Agency on Newcastle's Quayside.

The Quayside is one of five locations in the North East where the barriers could be deployed within 12 hours of a flood alert. The others are Skinningrove, Blyth, Hexham and Dunston in Gateshead.

Watch @krisjepson's full report here:

It is the first time the temporary barriers have been deployed and tested in the North East.

Following last winters' devastating flooding, caused by Storm Desmond, the Environment Agency has invested £12.5m of government flood resilience funding into new equipment, including 40km of temporary flood barriers.

The barriers are held at strategic sites across the UK and can be transported anywhere in the country within twelve hours.

Chris Miller from Dobson's Great Coffee cafe on the Quayside said it is reassuring the mobile flood defences could protect the business in the future.

He said, "there was a lot of damage downstairs and it cost around £1,000 to get it all done and for someone who works for this business, I think it is a good idea, because they can come out in 12 hours and tell us that it's going to be flooded. It will give us peace of mind."

Avril Kirsopp, whose home in Haydon Bridge was flooded a year ago, says she cannot have any "peace of mind" until the gravel in the river is removed. The Environment Agency claim that removing the gravel will not improve flood prevention, but Avril finds that difficult to accept.

She said "they've done a lot of work, built up the south bank side of the river, which is great, but have they done enough? And of course we would like the gravel removed from the centre of the river. It's like an island on its own in there.

"It's extremely disconcerting and it is a bit like living on a knife-edge, you know when the river is high, when it is raining, how high is the water going to go? It's not very nice."

In Newcastle, the one metre high barrier stretched from the Copthorne Hotel up to the Pitcher & Piano, covering the lowest section of the Quayside, which does flood when the River Tyne reaches 3.15 metres.

In December 2013, tidal levels of 4.02 metres were recorded on the Tyne which led to flooding of the Quayside and 18 businesses along it.