Author: Martin Driver

Sefton Council is looking to bring back a pop-up food and drink offer at Crosby Coastal Park later this summer following a well-received 28-day trial at the popular location.

Sefton-based owners of The Bus Yard took part in the trial, operating from a double decker bus near to the Marine Lake, overlooking the beach.

From fish finger butties to chocolate brownies and cocktails, the street food-style outlet has been incredibly popular with residents and visitors alike over the past four weeks.

Cllr Ian Moncur, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “Our Green Sefton Service is gearing up for a busy few months ahead and are proactively looking at ways to ensure our coast offers the best possible experience for all beach users.

“They’ve worked really closely with the local business who took part in the trial, as well as understanding community concerns about any adverse effects such as littering that might result from an offer like this.

“I’m really pleased to report that we’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback during the pop-up which finished at the weekend, so much so that we are exploring options to bring the bus back later this summer.

“The team at The Bus Yard even took part in a beach clean-up following the busy late May Bank Holiday, showing their dedication and commitment to working alongside the Council and volunteers to keep Crosby looking clean and tidy.

“I would urge anyone with further thoughts to get in touch to tell us what they feel worked well or perhaps didn’t work as well. We often get asked to provide more hospitality facilities at the coast, so your input on a trial like this is vital to ensure we get the right offer for everyone, balancing the needs of our people and our environment.”

Feedback can be submitted by email to the Green Sefton team greensefton@sefton.gov.uk

Andy Laird, The Bus Yard, said: ‘’We have had an amazing time at Crosby over the last month and its success has gone beyond our expectations. Feedback has been really positive from the local community and visitors.’’

Planning approval was recently received for another pop-up food and drink trial at Ainsdale beach.

Plans are still being finalised, but it is hoped that the shipping container units that will house the temporary offer will be in place by the middle of July, with a trial running there until the late autumn.

Feedback from both the Crosby and Ainsdale trials will be reviewed later this year, before considering how more permanent facilities might be arranged from 2022.

After weeks of sunny weather, thunderstorms are now predicted to sweep across the region and Sefton Council are reminding residents of how to check the flood risk in their area and other ways to protect themselves and their properties.

The Met Office has issued yellow warnings for the storms expected late on Wednesday and through to Thursday night, with the potential for travel disruption and flooding.

Sefton Council is monitoring forecasts to put necessary measures in place if required. While it is not anticipating widespread issues, its flood officers are calling upon communities to sign up for the latest flood alerts, to check any potential risk in their area and to ensure they are prepared should the rainfall result in instances of flooding.

Cllr John Fairclough, Deputy Leader of Sefton Council and Chair of the Sefton Flood Resilience Strategic Group, said: “Flood risk is a serious issue for residents across the Borough and something that our officers are dedicated to finding both short and long-term solutions for through everything from routine maintenance of gullies to seeking out investment for coastal defences. As part of their roles it’s also incredibly important for them to raise awareness and educate communities about how they have a role to play in flood prevention and preparedness.

“Thankfully the forecast for thunderstorms this week doesn’t look like it will have the same impact as we saw at the start of this year when a major incident was declared in Maghull. It does however remind us that no matter what time of year it is, we can face extreme weather events and we want to ensure our communities are equipped with the information they need to be prepared for such instances.”

Steps that people can take not only while the weather alerts are in place, but to manage flood risk all year round and to be prepared for a flooding event, are:

• Finding out your own risk of flooding before a flood happens. Floods can happen anywhere, and it is important to remember you don’t need to live by water to be at risk of flooding. Visit the government’s flood warning information service online or call Floodline on 0345 988 1188.
• If you are in an at-risk area sign up for flood warning messages from the Environment Agency’s Floodline online or by calling: 0345 988 1188.
• Make a personal Flood Plan for what you will do if there is a flood at your home. Resources can be found at The Flood Hub.
• The Council does not have a duty to provide sand bags to protect homes or businesses. Have your own stock of sandbags – these can be bought from builders’ merchants or DIY shops.

Cllr Fairclough added: “We continue to work with our key partners including the Environment Agency and United Utilities, to manage flood risk across Sefton. We’ve already met a number of times this year under our new working group and I am confident that this collaborative approach is already resulting in positive outcomes that will benefit all of our communities.”

Anyone concerned about flooding can find further advice on flood risk and what to do to protect their property on the Flood Hub website or Sefton Council website.

Residents can report flooding on a public highway or any blocked road gullies on the Sefton Council website using an online reporting form.

Should anyone end up with flood water in their property, they should report this to flooding@sefton.gov.uk with any photos to accompany the report. 

Reporting incidents will ensure that the Council can understand the extent and location of properties affected by incidents of flooding and allow officers to work with other flood risk management authorities to help reduce the risks and consequences of future flooding.