Flood Risk Management

We prioritise flood risk management in our planning and permitting applications (which are subject to statutory consultation and detailed technical studies). This ensures that our operations do not increase flood risk locally. Equally, the risks of flooding to the quarry operation are also considered. The quarry itself can assist with local flood storage capacity by creating void space through the extraction of mineral. In our day-to-day operations, we manage flood risk by changing ground levels, controlling water discharge from our operations and maintaining flood defence structures adjacent to the River Trent and Slough Dyke.

Recent Challenges

Severe flooding in 2023 and 2024, caused predominantly by Storm Babet and Storm Henk (as well as subsequent storm events), presented huge challenges for communities and business in the local villages. Floodwaters overflowed from Slough Dyke, which feeds into the River Trent. This resulted in damage to the quarry’s equipment, public footpaths and the closure of the quarry for over six months. There was also widespread flooding locally that submerged roads and caused damage to private land and property.

Since then, we’ve been exploring opportunities to improve flood resilience for our site and the wider community

  • Restoring public footpaths damaged by the floods in partnership with local authorities.
  • Working with the Environment Agency (EA) to install CCTV cameras on Slough Dyke for real-time monitoring.
  • Working in partnership with the Internal Drainage Board (IDB) to report areas of concern regarding flood defence structures.
  • Encouraging landowners to subscribe to the EA’s flood alerts for early warnings and emergency flood planning.
  • Staying connected with the community through regular updates and meetings with the Quarry Liaison Committee, parish councillors and designated village flood wardens.

We are continually striving to ensure that our site is safe for our team and the community, and the work is ongoing:

  • Following a recent overspill event from Slough Dyke in early January, we have been in contact with both the Internal Drainage Board (IDB) and Environment Agency to arrange a site visit. Our initial understanding is that the overspill may have been caused by a sluice gate failure. Newly installed CCTV cameras captured the exact time and date of the incident, and the matter is now under investigation by maintenance teams.
  • While some reinstatement and restoration works were completed last year, the eastern flood defence wall has not yet undergone full restoration. Due to changing weather conditions in 2024, the completion of these remaining works is scheduled for the drier months of 2025 which will assist with overspill defence.
  • If you’d like to get in contact with us about any flood queries related to the site, please contact [email protected]