It is 40 years since the late Queen opened the Thames Barrier, which has been closed 221 times to protect the capital from flooding.
Flood defence walls through London will need to be half a metre higher in the future to protect against climate change, officials said as they marked the 40th anniversary of the Thames Barrier.
Since its construction, it has been closed 221 times to prevent flooding of the capital, working with other flood defences along the Thames to protect 1.42 million people, residential property worth £321 billion, hundreds of schools, hospitals, railway and train stations, and four World Heritage sites.
These include raising the flood walls and defences that line the Thames downriver of the barrier by half a metre by 2040, and then by the same amount by 2050, to the west, through central London. The 40th anniversary also marks the final day in the job for Andy Batchelor, who has been the Thames Barrier’s manager for 25 years, having started a new job at the site on the day it was opened by the late Queen.
He said of the barrier: “It’s like the sleeping giant, it rolls into action, it wakes up when that is needed. With sea levels expected to rise by a metre by 2100, officials say greater defences against flooding will be needed in the coming decadesStorms and weeks of heavy rain bringing high river flows down the Thames meant the barrier was closed 50 times in 13 weeks, including 20 closures on consecutive high tides.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
London’s future flood defences plans as ‘sleeping giant’ Thames Barrier turns 40It is 40 years since the late Queen opened the Thames Barrier, which has been closed 221 times to protect the capital from flooding.
Read more »
London’s future flood defences plans as ‘sleeping giant’ Thames Barrier turns 40It is 40 years since the late Queen opened the Thames Barrier, which has been closed 221 times to protect the capital from flooding.
Read more »
Thames Water warns of even bigger surge in bills under new plansThames Water wants to bring bills up to at least £608 a year by 2030 - and possibly even higher.
Read more »
Downing Street's Emergency Plan for Thames WaterDowning Street is considering special administration or finding new shareholders to save Thames Water, which has defaulted on debt payments. Nationalisation is ruled out as a solution.
Read more »
What Does Renationalizing Thames Water MeanWhile pundits discuss the necessity of preserving Thames Water as an investor-owned entity, the company company is facing a major long-term financing problem.
Read more »
‘Thames Water sewage floods my garden as dead fish float byResidents of Eton Wick in Berkshire claim that they regularly see dead fish floating along the stream by their back gardens
Read more »