Flooding

‘A third of Lincolnshire is below sea level and there is over 300km of raised defences for the coast and tidal rivers in the area. Most of the coastal area is at or below normal tide water level, which means it would be inundated at least 14 days every month without the sea defences in place. 

The defences today along the Lincolnshire open coast are a combination of wide-open beaches with either natural or man-made sand dunes and concrete walls - most of which were rebuilt following the 1953 tidal storm surge. During the 1980s and 1990s many of these defences were improved rather than replaced followed by the addition of a higher-level beaches.

The Environment Agency spends around £10m nourishing the beach each year, between Mablethorpe and Ingoldmells, which helps to reduce the risk of flooding to 20,000 homes and businesses, 24,500 static caravans and 35,000 hectares of land. Around 400,000 cubic metres of sand is replenished, year on year which is enough sand to fill 160 Olympic-sized swimming pools. 

There has been a UK-wide increase in sea levels (approximately 1.4mm per year) since 1901 (16cm to date) with storms and flooding becoming more frequent due to climate change. The changing climate is likely to increase sea levels by over one metre across the Lincolnshire coast over the next 100 years.

Despite best efforts, flooding can still happen as defences can fail or be overtopped. That is why we urge everyone to prepare by signing up to receive free flood warnings.  

The Environment Agency have produced a guide to help you put together a flood plan https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/plan-ahead-for-flooding

For information on Flood Products to help reduce the impact of flooding on your home or business e.g. flood doors, airbrick covers, you can visit www.bluepages.org.uk’