200,000 trees to be planted to cut Calder Valley flood risk

Hundreds of thousands of trees will be planted as part of a long-term plan aimed at reducing flood risk in the Calder Valley - which was devastated by the storms of December 2015.

The towns of Todmorden, Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd, in West Yorkshire, were severely affected when the River Calder burst its banks just over a year ago.

When the Government's National Flood Resilience Review responded to the inundation last year, community groups in Hebden Bridge called it "shockingly disappointing", partly because it made virtually no mention of the importance of managing how water drains from the surrounding moorland.

Now Yorkshire Water has announced its long term Natural Flood Management plan for the Calder Valley which will start with a plan to plant up to 200,000 trees in the next few years.

The moors above Gorpley reservoir, between Todmorden and Bacup, has been identified as a site where tree planting can begin. A 60 hectare area of "species-poor grassland" will be planted with 3,000 trees per hectare by local community groups.

A spokesman said other flood management measures will also be implemented on these moors over the next five to 10 years, including restoring sphagnum moss on 43 hectares of blanket bog - a move which he said will help absorb and slow down rainwater run-off.

The spokesman said Yorkshire Water is also looking at repairing dams on smaller watercourses, strengthening river banks and creating a patchwork of wetland areas on its upland estates.

The company is working with the White Rose Forest, which is made up of a number of organisations who aim to plant and manage more woodland to make the region a greener and a healthier place.

Yorkshire Water said its Gorpley Reservoir is already used for flood attenuation rather than water supply. The Environment Agency alters the releases of water to try and maintain the reservoir at 73% full or below to enable it act as a sink at times of high rainfall.