RESIDENTS in Bury are being invited to share their thoughts on reducing flood risk at an upcoming community drop-in session.

The invitation – from the Environment Agency and Bury Council – will concentrate on the Radcliffe and Redvales areas, ones severely affected.

The event, taking place on Wednesday, August 30 at Radcliffe Road Baptist Church, will provide an opportunity for people to comment on options for minimising the impact of future flooding in their local area.

Since the Boxing Day floods in 2015, which saw large parts of the community affected, the Environment Agency along with Bury Council have been exploring ways to better protect the area in the future.

This has included the potential development of a new £27 million flood defence scheme and work is now underway to take the project forward.

The upcoming community drop-in session will allow the project team to share the latest developments with the local community. Environment Agency officers will also be on hand throughout the event to discuss and answer any questions residents may have.

Ian Hale, area flood risk manager at the Environment Agency, said: “We are pleased to be in a position to share the latest developments for managing future flood risk with the Bury community. We saw first-hand the devastating impact the floods of 2015 had on residents and businesses and we want to work really closely with the community to help reduce their impact in the future.

“We would encourage everyone to come along to the drop-in session to learn more about the current work proposals, to contribute by sharing their views and thoughts on the plans and to see how they can continue to be involved as the project develops.”

Cllr Alan Quinn, Bury Council’s cabinet member for the environment, said: “The Boxing Day floods of 2015 were unprecedented and, while thankfully no one died or suffered serious injury, had a huge effect on hundreds of people across our borough.

"Everyone is working hard to develop the strongest flood defences we can to reduce the impact of extreme weather in the future, and I encourage local residents to come along to the meeting and listen to the progress made so far.”

The session will be held at Radcliffe Road Baptist Church from 3.30pm to 7.30pm.

Residents can sign up for free flood warnings by signing up online at http://bit.ly/QEBvEJ. Alternatively, they can telephone the Environment Agency Floodline on 0345 988 1188 and find out what they can do to protect themselves and their property when flooding hits.

More information about how to respond to a flood can be found at www.gov.uk/prepare-for-flooding/future-flooding and use the template to make a personal or community wide flood action plan.