A coastal town's tidal wall defences, which will help reduce the risk of flooding, are set to be tested this week.
A training exercise will be held in Lowestoft as the recently completed tidal wall defences are set to be tested in readiness for the winter season.
The deployment of a section of the new defences and flood gates will be tested during the training exercise, which takes place between 8am and 4pm on Thursday, September 21.
The permanent tidal flood defences will be used in combination with the existing temporary flood barriers to reduce the risk of flooding to the town.
Every year the emergency response against a tidal surge, such as that which happened in December 2013, is tested and those operating the barriers are put through their paces to ensure that East Suffolk Council can provide the best possible response to the threat of a further North Sea tidal surge.
This year the exercise will be held at Hamilton Road where all the demountable defences will be deployed.
The defences will be installed, disassembled and re-stowed as part of the exercise.
Disruption will be kept to a minimum however some parking restrictions will be in place.
Kay Yule, East Suffolk’s cabinet member for Planning and Coastal Management, said: “It is essential that we regularly test our emergency response to avoid the severity of flooding experienced by people and businesses in 2013.
"If required, the demountable defences and temporary flood barriers are deployed in places around the town where flooding was at its worst at that time.
"Each year, we carry out a trial deployment to ensure we are ready to face the winter."
The tidal flood walls began construction in May 2021 and have been built along Hamilton Road, Waveney Road, Station Square and around the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club and South Pier.
The defences on Hamilton Road, Waveney Road and Station Square are made up of a mixture of solid flood walls, demountable defences and flood gates, while glass flood walls run around the Yacht Club and South Pier.
With the tidal flood walls now completed, they will form part of this exercise for the first time this year.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here