Mytholmroyd primary school gets flood defences worth £450k

Flood defences have been installed at Burnley Road Academy primary school in Mytholmroyd

A Calderdale primary school hit by severe flooding has been given new flood defences worth £450,000 to help minimise future damage.

Burnley Road Academy in Mytholmroyd was severely flooded in 2012, on Boxing Day in 2015 and again in February 2020.

The school stands between the Rochdale Canal and the River Calder.

Head teacher Clare Cope said she was "delighted" and felt "much safer" knowing the school was better protected from future flood risk.

The academy received £450,000 from the Department for Education (DfE) for the defences, on top of £41m given to the town in 2021 under the Mytholmroyd Flood Alleviation Scheme, to protect 400 homes and businesses.

As well as the school, more than 4,000 homes and businesses were damaged in Calderdale during the floods in 2015 and 2020, the Environment Agency said.

Burnley Road primary school, between the Rochdale Canal and the River Calder, has been on the site since 1879 and has around 200 pupils

The school's new flood defences include pumps, air brick covers and barriers.

The flood resilience measures were installed by Watertight International, working with the Environment Agency and Calderdale Council.

Puddle pumps, sump pumps, flood gates and non-return valves were installed and the school walls have been re-pointed and rendered, mostly completed during school holidays, the agency said.

Councillor Scott Patient, whose children attended the school, said it was "another major step forward".

Paul Swales of the Environment Agency said climate change had made it impossible to completely stop flood risk in the Calder Valley, particularly because of its geography.

"The scheme won't prevent the frequency of floods or their severity," he said.

"[But] it will give the school a better standard of protection and valuable time to prepare."

Mr Swales said he was "proud" to see the finished work at the school.

Floodwater filled Burnley Road Academy in 2015