Crunch meeting on flood sirens

Ian Clarke A crunch meeting in the battle to save Norfolk's flood sirens, led by the county's MPs and featuring all the key agencies in the debate, hopes to end the impasse on Monday.

Ian Clarke

A crunch meeting in the battle to save Norfolk's flood sirens, led by the county's MPs and featuring all the key agencies in the debate, hopes to end the impasse on Monday.

Communities, councillors and politicians have fought to retain the ageing warning system but have come up against opposition from police, who say the sirens are old, unreliable and will not be used, and the Environment Agency, which believes they are unnecessary.

The county hall meeting, led by north Norfolk MP Norman Lamb, will attempt to convince police and the Environment Agency to alter their position.

The Environment Agency believes the Floodline Warnings Direct service, which provides warnings by telephone, mobile, email, text message, fax or pager, is a better alternative to the sirens.

But communities are urging the decision makers to listen to them and keep the old system which they know and trust.