Wyre's £40m flood defence system protects 3,000 more homes as project nears completion

Three thousand properties in Fleetwood have been better protected by flooding since 2024 as part of the ongoing Wyre Beach Management Scheme.

The £40m Wyre Beach Management Scheme is a major coastal defence project to eventually protect more than 11,000 properties in Fleetwood and Cleveleys.

Delivered with Balfour Beatty, it involves installing rock armor groynes and toe protection to reduce erosion.

The scheme, which began in 2022, aims to stabilise and widen beaches, acting as a buffer to reduce wave emergy and protect against flooding and covers the coastline between Fleetwood and Cleveleys, including areas near Rossall Promenade, Rossall Poing and Jubilee Gardens.

The Environment Agency has protected 62,000 homes and businesses from flooding over the last two years and confirmed it has exceeded its property protection by nearly 10,000.

Caroline Douglass, Executive Director of Floods and Coastal Risk Management at the Environment Agency, said: "Flooding has a devastating impact on communities and will only worsen as our climate changes.

“Exceeding our target reflects the tireless work of our teams and partners across the country to protect the communities they live in.

“With more than 600 projects being taken forward in the coming year, we will continue working to ensure vulnerable towns and cities get the protection they need."

The project is funded by the Government’s Department for Entrainment, Food and Rural Affairs to help tackle flooding in the country.

Wyre is especially at risk of coastal flooding due to high tides and high waves during storms that results in beach material moving away from the defences and lowers the beach levels.

The scheme will be completed this year.