River levels in Calderdale start to rise as borough prepares for Storm Christoph

Wardens from Calderdale Council's Community Protection team have been out checking the river levels across the borough.

The video shows them checking the levels at Callis Bridge near Hebden Bridge.

Flood alerts are already in place for Calderdale in the River Calder upper and lower catchment areas.

People in Calderdale are being asked to check their flood plans and prepare for possible impacts from the heavy and persistent rain forecast for West Yorkshire over the next few days.

The Met Office has issued an amber warning for rain from 6am on Tuesday January 19 to 12pm on Thursday January 21.

A combination of heavy rainfall, already saturated ground and melting snow could cause some flooding in Calderdale and other areas the Council has said.

Organisations across the region are preparing for potentially significant and widespread impacts.

Councillor Scott Patient, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Resilience, said: “Sadly, heavy rain and the risk of floods are becoming more frequent because of climate change.

"That’s why we declared a climate emergency in 2019 and have been working hard with our partner organisations and communities to build flood protection and resilience in Calderdale.

“Council teams and our partners are doing everything we can to prepare for this week’s expected bad weather.

"We’re urging local residents and businesses to take all the steps they can to protect themselves and their property.

"There are simple things we can all do to get ready to deal with any issues caused by heavy rain or flooding, and I know we’d respond with Calderdale’s usual kindness and resilience.”

As a precaution over the weekend, Calderdale Council has been sweeping high-risk flood areas, keeping drains and gullies as clear as possible and taking other precautionary measures across the borough. Preparations will continue throughout today.

Extra staff are on duty to prepare and monitor the situation, and teams are on 24-hour standby, ready to respond to any flooding in partnership with other organisations.

During previous floods, support hubs have been set up in community locations as a central point for the flooding response.

However, due to COVID-19, the Council has developed virtual community support hubs to help people if there is flooding during the pandemic.

The virtual hubs work similarly to the physical ones, but everything will be done remotely to reduce the need for face-to-face contact and to protect staff, volunteers, those affected by flooding and vulnerable people in our communities.

Emergency services and the Council will continue to respond to any flooding using their tried and tested procedures, with additional COVID-secure measures in place as the risk of the virus is still high in Calderdale.