East Suffolk Council
Flood barriers to be deployed
Due to potential high water on Thursday evening and Friday, temporary flood barriers will be deployed in Lowestoft.
Current Environment Agency predictions show high water levels are possible on Thursday evening and Friday morning, and could reach the lowest quay height, triggering the deployment of the temporary barriers on the south side of Lake Lothing.
The barriers will be deployed by the Water Management Alliance, on behalf of East Suffolk Council. Work will begin early on Thursday to ensure the barriers are in place ahead of the evening high tide.
Barriers will be placed on the south side of Lake Lothing in the areas of Kirkley Ham and Belvedere Road. All barriers will be situated on private land and therefore traffic disruption is not expected.
With the possibility of flood warnings across East Suffolk, residents are advised to check their risk of flooding at www.gov.uk/check-flooding and to register for flood alerts if they have not already done so.
High tides and strong winds are forecast to impact the Suffolk coast from Thursday and those visiting the coast are advised to take extra care. Coastal Partnership East, on behalf of East Suffolk Council, is reminding people to stay safe on the coast by adhering to the following:
• do not climb on eroding cliffs or sea defences.
• keep well back from the cliff edge.
• take notice of signage
• avoid walking close to the base of cliffs.
• keep pets on leads.
• extra care should also be taken on river and coastal paths.
In 2016, 1400m of fully removable barriers were acquired using over £400,000 of funding secured by the former Waveney District Council from the Regional Flood and Coast Committee. The temporary barriers will be used in conjunction with the completed tidal flood walls to provide some protection to the most vulnerable areas of Lowestoft.
The tidal flood walls form part of the wider Lowestoft Flood Protection Scheme and were completed in October 2023. Construction of a pumping station to provide better protection to houses previously flooded on the Kirkley Stream and property level resilience measures to more than 120 homes has also been completed.