Car park and footpath closed due to flooding risk

The Cowhaugh car park at Rothbury riverside and public footpaths on low lying land that are at risk of flooding in the Coquet valley between Rothbury and Thropton.The River Coquet has overtopped its banks and merged with Caistron Lakes, upstream of Rothbury and around half of the river is now flowing from the main River Coquet into the Lakes area.

The water is currently being held by the lake’s raised aggregate bank, however this is at risk of failure.

If this happens water from the lakes area will move downstream, and while the council has said this will not create a sudden impact, it does have the potential to raise river levels quickly.

Flooding may happen across low lying land and some recreational areas therefore public rights of way across the flood plain and alongside the river banks downstream from Caistron Lakes are being temporarily closed as a public safety measure whilst river levels remain high.There are currently no flood warnings or alerts in place, however the Environment Agency has said it is monitoring the situation very closely as rain is forecast throughout today and into next week.