Kirklees Together

We are continuing to support hundreds of people across the district in the wake of Storm Ciara.

The storm brought unprecedented levels of extreme weather to Kirklees, with record amounts of rain striking the area in a 12-hour period.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Shabir Pandor, said:

“As a council we are doing all we can to support the worst affected areas and we have officers in our communities to ensure the most vulnerable are helped.

We are going the extra mile in working with our partners to help our communities recover from this dreadful event. In addition I am going to continue lobbying the government for more money for flood defences. Climate change is affecting our communities and lack of money to increase our flood defences and to compensate businesses and home owners for their loss is not enough. We must force the Government into increasing spending in this area.”

Local rivers hit the highest levels ever recorded and – combined with the rainfall and exceptionally strong winds – this has led to flooding in several areas, along with damage to the highways infrastructure.

We have been working round the clock to help residents and businesses and to carry out urgent repairs which will minimise disruption as much as possible.

Preparations had been made for the severe weather, but conditions became worse than forecast and there have been many incidents requiring an urgent response.

We are currently focusing on the worst-affected areas and we are sending out teams to support the most vulnerable members of our communities.

An incident room was set up during the storm, giving an overview of the situation across Kirklees and ensuring a co-ordinated response. We led on this response and have been working closely with other organisations including the police and fire service.

Key advice and information 

Teams remain out in the community dealing with as many issues as possible, and an incident support and assistance web page is also available to provide key advice and information.

The Severe Weather Emergency Protocol has been activated, offering rough sleepers a warm bed for the night. Everyone who takes up this offer will also be visited by a housing officer with a view to receiving longer-term help.

The following phone numbers may be useful:

Call 999 for life and death situations

Call NHS 111 or visit the NHS Choices website for non-emergencies

Kirklees Council Switchboard: 01484 221000

Benefits Assistance: 01484 414950/council.benefits@kirklees.gov.uk

Flooding issues: 01484 225646

Environment Agency Incident Hotline 0800 80 70 60 (24 hrs)

Environment Agency Floodline 0345 988 1188 (24 hrs)