CSE Seprol, a UK based member of the CSE Servelec Group who specialise in telemetry solutions which may be used for flood forecasting, has been awarded an order by the Environment Agency to supply flood warning devices to one of the Anglian region’s main risk areas.

The contract awarded by the Agency will see Sheffield-based CSE Seprol provide outstations that control the risk area’s flood warning sirens to alert local people of impending severe flooding.

The 18 sirens, at various locations around the flood risk area of Grimsby and Cleethorpes, should reach 25,500 households to warn them of portending tidal floods.  The sirens will make a variety of sounds, from the traditional wailing sound to a voice message. 

The control and monitoring of the sirens is linked by a Seprol S250 telemetry outstation to the Environment Agency’s Regional telemetry system.  Designed for monitoring mission critical situations, the Seriol range of industrial remote control and data acquisition products have proven extremely popular with large service and utilities providers.

Andy Baxendale, Area Manager with the Environment Agency said: ‘We do have good defences in these areas but should not be complacent. Sirens provide a fast and effective way of issuing warnings in an extreme event if the defences are at any risk of overtopping or failure.

We currently use mobile sirens and loudhailer units among our warning systems in this area but they have a limited effect in densely populated residential areas such as Grimsby and Cleethorpes, where the speed in issuing warnings is crucial.

This new system will provide an instantaneous wake up call to all those within hearing distance of the sirens. This would give residents up to six hours notice to prepare for any potential severe flooding.‘

Testing of the flood warning sirens were successfully completed a week early.  The testing was programmed to take up to two weeks, but due to the sirens operating exactly as expected, it was completed in one week.

Apart from routine, yearly testing, the sirens would only be activated when the Environment Agency issues a severe flood warning – where there is risk to life and property. 

The Environment Agency is the leading public body for protecting and improving the environment in England and Wales.  The Environment Agency is responsible for making sure that air, land and water are looked after by today’s society, so that tomorrow’s generations inherit a cleaner, healthier world.

CSE Seprol has been designing, manufacturing and supplying telemetry products and solutions for over 25 years and are a major supplier to UK based utility companies and the Environment Agency.