Overview
Liskeard is situated on a hill between two river valleys; the East Looe River flows to the west of the town and the River Seaton to the east, though as Liskeard expands the settlement boundary is likely to encroach on these two rivers and their floodplains.
Unusually, there are no major watercourses within the town and so fluvial (river) flood risk is low. However, there are potentially significant surface water flood risks.
Review of historic flooding
There are surprisingly few records of flooding in Liskeard, considering its high flood risk assessment score.
There have been past issue with flooding at the Moorswater Industrial Estate and the Liskeard to Looe branch railway line is often impacted by severe weather conditions.
Rivers and catchments
Liskeard is located on the hydrological divide (watershed or catchment boundary) between the East River Looe to the west and the River Seaton to the east.
The East River Looe flows through the Moorswater Industrial area, which is situated on the west side of the A38 that separates it from Liskeard. The Moorswater area has suffered from flooding due to the East Looe River overtopping its banks.
Risk of flooding from rivers
In the Liskeard area 40 properties are at risk of fluvial flooding, 8 of which are residential and 32 commercial (Moorswater Industrial Estate),
Risk of flooding from surface water
Around 640 properties in Liskeard are potentially at risk of surface water flooding. of these about 450 are residential and 190 properties are commercial including:
- 3 schools
- 1 nursing home
- 1 hospital
- 1 electricity substation
You can view maps relating to the area via the following links:
Flood risk management in Liskeard
A flood defence scheme has been implemented at Moorswater.
Liskeard is within the Fowey and Seaton Valleys Policy Unit of the East Cornwall Catchment Flood Management Plan. The policy for this unit is Option 4:
“Areas of low, moderate or high flood risk where we are already managing the flood risk effectively but where we may need to take further action to keep pace with climate change”.
Main challenges for local flood risk management in Liskeard
The main issue with flood risk management in Liskeard is related to surface water drainage. It is susceptible to sudden downpours. There is presently no requirement to produce a Surface Water Management Plan for Liskeard.
As the town does not sit within a floodplain, the risk of fluvial flooding is low
Opportunities for flood risk management in Liskeard
- Investigate potential for retrofitting Sustainable Drainage Systems in the developed areas.
- Seek drainage and flood defence improvements in the area of Moorswater Industrial Estate.
- Further investigate the links between land management practices, runoff and flood risk.
