First up was Paul Reeves, flood risk manager for Ringway Jacobs/Cheshire East Council, who gave an interesting presentation on how Cheshire East is tackling the ever-growing frequency of severe weather events.

Cheshire East experienced four extreme weather events during 2019, which impacted on residential and commercial properties, closing both major and residential roads and causing substantial
damage to a number of highway infrastructure assets. Mr Reeves provided useful information on relevant legislative frameworks and key regulatory activities.

His presentation was forward thinking, both in terms of how we can future proof the environment, and also how we can excite and encourage the next generation of water and drainage engineers to take on climate change and related challenges.

IWJS, which provides operational support and flood management services to local highway authorities, brought a vast range of their equipment to the event. Attendees were able to inspect this
during the interval and IWJS’s staff were extremely helpful in discussing how the equipment worked.

The ability to inspect and learn more about the equipment brought added value to the event and the North West Branch are grateful to IWJS for doing this.

Brian Nelson and Peter Maasz of IWJS then provided an insightful presentation on IWJS who have more than 40 years’ experience of delivering sewer services, waste management and industrial cleaning to essential infrastructure services across the UK.

Brian and Peter described the varied range of effective flood management services that IWJS has provided to Cheshire East Council. Embracing innovation and new technology is a theme that ran
throughout the whole evening and ensured that the event was enjoyed by all.

The North West Branch is looking forward to publishing a calendar of future events and is also seeking new members for its committee. If you are interested in becoming a committee member please email northwest@theihe.org.

The branch covers the metropolitan areas of Greater Manchester and Liverpool-Birkenhead and other main cities including Lancaster, Blackpool, Preston, Warrington, Crewe and Chester.

Our aspiration for the North Western Branch is to provide opportunities for professional development, networking, social events and become an outlet for local/regional industry information.

We are seeking enthusiastic new members for the branch committee. If you’re interested in becoming involved then please contact web@theihe.org by 15th October with your contact details.