§ Mr. Gareth WardellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will place in the Library a map of the marker buoys located offshore which are financed by her Department as part of the Neptune flood warning system.
§ Mr. JackI am placing in the Library a map showing the locations of the tide gauges around the coast which provide information on sea levels to the national storm tide warning service, which is operated on the Ministry's behalf by the Meteorological Office.
Neptune is a local warning system of events which may lead to flooding on the west coast between Llandudno and the Solway Firth. It is operated by the National Rivers Authority and draws on information from tide gauges at Workington, Heysham, Fleetwood and Liverpool, as well as gale warnings from the Manchester weather centre and surge forecasts from the storm tide warning service. The National Rivers Authority has carried out a wave measuring experiment, using wave rider buoys, in Morecambe bay over the past 12 months with the aim of improving understanding of wave conditions for forecasting purposes.