The historic market town of Appleby is situated within a meander of the River Eden which flows from south to north through the town and effectively divides it into two halves.

The River Eden starts in the Mallerstang valley, flows down through Kirkby Stephen and has many contributing becks flowing off the Pennines to the east before it reaches Appleby. The river is highly responsive and can be greatly effected in winter by snow melt.

Several areas of the town are naturally low lying and therefore most liable to flooding.  The Sands area is usually the first area to be affected and therefore we receive a lot of flood alerts for The Sands area of town – these are issued once the river is expected to reach a water level of 1.8m or over.  To put this into perspective, the water does not get onto the road on The Sands until it has reached a level of 3.1m and therefore an alert is a very early trigger.

Trigger Levels for Appleby:

If the water level is predicted to reach 3.1m, the Environment Agency will issue a Flood Warning for The Sands, Howgate Foot, Riverside Court and Battlebarrow.

If the water level is predicted to reach 4.3m, the Environment Agency will issue a Flood Warning for Chapel Street, Bridge Street, Holme Street, Holme Court and Low Wiend Area.  The Flood defences will offer protection of up to 4.45m.  The Sands will now be under Severe Flood Warning Levels.

If the water level is predicted to reach 4.7m, the Environment Agency will issue a Flood Warning for Market Square, Boroughgate and Doomgate.  The Sands and Chapel Street areas will now be under Severe Flood Warning levels.

For more information on the different types of Alert and Warning please see : River Levels / Flood Hub / Useful Links

Appleby Siren:

Appleby has two flood sirens, located at The Cricket Club and the Fire Station.  AERG are responsible for the upkeep of the sirens and also for the sounding of them.

The siren will be sounded WHEN THERE IS IMMEDIATE DANGER TO PROPERTY.  The Environment Agency will issue a Flood Warning when the water is predicted to reach 3.1m on The Sands.  At this level, the water will not actually enter any property to cause damage.  For this reason, the group will only sound the siren when the water is predicted to reach 3.5m.

We aim to sound the siren 2 hours prior to the water reaching these levels.

There will be situations where the EA have issued a flood warning but the siren is not sounded.  AERG are in constant contact with the EA during a flood situation and decisions are made on a situation-by-situation basis.

Are​ ​you​ ​prepared​ ​for​ ​flooding?

Our volunteers are keen to help and ensure that all households in the flood-risk areas are prepared.

  • Do​ ​you​ ​have​ ​a​ ​household​ ​flood​ ​plan? If not, please click here for more information: Homes and Businesses
  • Do​ ​you​ ​have​ ​flood​ ​defences? If not, let us know and we will show you where to go for advice on what is available. If you have flood defences, don’t wait until the last minute before you install them. If the forecast suggests flood warnings and you are likely to be away from your home, install the defences before you go out.
  • Are​ ​you​ ​registered​ ​for​ ​flood​ ​alerts/warnings? If you are not registered, please register as soon as possible.  See River Levels / Flood Hub / Useful Links   for more information.
  • It is your responsibility to protect your property from flooding

If you are worried about future flooding or need help with any of the questions above please get in touch with us at applebyerg@hotmail.com or 07467 589 238.  There is lots of useful information on our website:  www.applebyerg.co.uk