Calder Valley flood warning sirens put to the test - this is when they will be sounded

The sirens will be sounded between 11am and 11.15am on Thursday, September 28 in Walsden, Todmorden, Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd.

Each siren test will last for two minutes. Residents and businesses do not need to take any action when hearing the sirens at these times. Loud hailer vehicles will be used to alert people to the tests, ahead of the sirens being sounded.

Graham Lindsey, flood resilience team leader at the Environment Agency, said: “The testing of the sirens is part of our work with partners to ensure that we are fully prepared to take action this winter wherever it is needed.

“It is important that we test the audibility of sirens to check that they can be heard as widely as possible. The sirens provide a useful way of quickly alerting the communities at risk in the upper valley, an area where we know that flooding can occur extremely quickly.

“Although no action needs to be taken during the test, if you hear the sirens at any other time, please be aware that this means that flooding is expected from the local rivers.”

With an audibility level similar to that used by emergency vehicles, the Environment Agency sounds the sirens as an addition to issuing flood warnings to warn people of possible imminent flooding from the River Calder that runs through the valley.

If the Environment Agency is in incident mode or poor weather is forecast on the day the test will be postponed until Thursday, October 12.

On the day of the test, Environment Agency staff will be based at the Hebden Bridge Flood Information Centre at 4 Hardcastle House, Valley Road, and will be available to answer any questions.

All residents and businesses in the Calder Valley are encouraged to sign up to the Environment Agency’s flood warning service, which gives advanced notification of flooding via phone, text and email.

To register for the Environment Agency’s flood warning service visit www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings or contact Floodline on tel: 0345 988 1188.