The sirens will be sounded at 1pm on Thursday 30 September in Walsden, Todmorden, Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd.

Each siren test will last for two minutes. Residents and businesses do not need to take any action when hearing the sirens at these times. Loud hailer vehicles will be used to alert people to the tests, ahead of the sirens being sounded.

Graham Lindsey, flood resilience team leader at the Environment Agency, said:

The testing of the sirens is part of our work with partners to ensure that we are fully prepared to take action this winter wherever it is needed.

It is important that we test the audibility of sirens to check that they can be heard as widely as possible. The sirens provide a useful way of quickly alerting the communities at risk in the upper valley, an area where we know that flooding can occur extremely quickly.

Although no action needs to be taken during the test, if you hear the sirens at any other time, please be aware that this means that flooding is expected from the local rivers.

With an audibility level similar to that used by emergency vehicles, the Environment Agency uses the sirens to warn people of possible imminent flooding from the River Calder that runs through the valley.

There are a total of eight flood warning sirens across the Upper Calder Valley. There are four sirens in Todmorden which are sited at the fire station, the high school, Morrisons and Weir Minerals. There is also a siren at Walsden, two in Hebden Bridge, one in Mytholmroyd and a community siren in Sowerby Bridge.

While a lot of work continues to be done to address flooding in the Calder Valley, with the completion of defences at Mytholmroyd and the start of construction of defences in Hebden Bridge, these schemes will reduce rather than eliminate the likelihood of flooding, so it is important that people are prepared.

All residents and businesses in the Calder Valley are encouraged to sign up to the Environment Agency’s flood warning service,  which gives advanced notification of flooding via phone, text and email. It is the principal way that flood warnings are issued, and those who sign up can manage their registrations online so that they can receive warnings wherever they are.

To register for the Environment Agency’s flood warning service visit https://www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings or contact Floodline on tel: 0345 988 1188.

For the latest information on current flood warnings and the local weather forecast, Calderdale residents can visit the ‘Eye on Calderdale’ website – www.eyeoncalderdale.com or following @EnvAgencyYNE and @Calderdale on Twitter.

The British Ambassador to Somalia, Kate Foster, today (Tuesday, 28 September 2021) visited Garowe ahead of the planned local elections in October, to underline the importance of the elections to the wider democratisation process in Puntland.

In her first visit to Puntland since her appointment, Ambassador Foster met with President Said Abdullahi Deni, where they discussed progress towards the One Person One Vote (OPOV) election as well as wider UK support to the region. Ms Foster also met with officials of the Transitional Puntland Electoral Commission (TPEC), congratulating them on the progress of the planned local elections.

On Federal elections, Ambassador Foster called for Somali leaders to work together and move forward to deliver on their commitments to hold credible national elections on time and in accordance with the 27 May Agreement. Puntland State will hold its first OPOV local elections in October 2021.

The pilot elections in the three districts of Qardho, Eyl and Ufayn will be an opportunity to test the viability of the electoral model ahead of state-wide local governance elections expected to take place in early 2022.

Speaking during the visit, British Ambassador to Somalia, Kate Foster, said:

I’m delighted to be here in Puntland State, my first visit as British Ambassador. It’s a pleasure to discuss our support here, the strong progress towards elections in Puntland, and to meet the Transitional Puntland Election Commission (TPEC) and civil society.

The upcoming local elections in Puntland are of historic significance. If completed successfully, they will demonstrate that One Person One Vote elections are possible in Somalia. The pace of voter registration indicates that people want to have a more direct say in selection of individuals and associations that represent them

I want to congratulate the Puntland State Government, and the Transitional Puntland Election Commission on the strong progress that’s been made, with UK and international community support.

As we head into the Lower House elections, stakeholders have a responsibility and an opportunity to ensure there is a conducive environment for free, fair and peaceful elections. Strong civil society engagement in the process is crucial.

During the visit, Ms Foster also welcome President Deni’s continued commitment to supporting the timely implementation of the federal electoral process and his willingness to work with actors across the political spectrum in seeking a resolution of the current dispute between President Farmajo and Prime Minister Roble.

She also discussed wider support to Puntland. The UK is supporting 18 communities to build their capacity to conflict and climate-related shocks and stresses through the Building Resilient Communities in Somalia programme.

The UK is also supporting 45 health facilities in Puntland, providing emergency humanitarian assistance, particularly during COVID-19.

In addition to meeting with President Deni, Ms Foster also held meetings with representatives of the civil society and political parties, reiterating the continued importance of strong civil society engagement in the political process, both in terms of election observation and civic engagement.