‘Great Yarmouth bridges are critical to the town’ says chief inspector
The River Yare approaching high tide in Great Yarmouth, at 8am on Friday 13th January 2017. Picture: ANTONY KELLY - Credit: Archant
Great Yarmouth's chief inspector has dismissed rumours that the town's two river crossings will be closed, describing them as 'critical'.
Updating progress of tidal surge preparations, chief inspector Nathan Clark said the bridges play a crucial role in the operation and that there are no plans to close them.
He said: 'We have two bridges over the river in Great Yarmouth and to the town these are absolutely critical. Highways say they have no plans to close the bridges and neither do the police.'
Around 60 police officers have been working their way around the most vulnerable areas, along with 100 military troops, informing those who need to evacuate to do so.
Approaching 5,000 homes have already been informed, but CI Clark said around 60-70pc of those affected have elected to make their own arrangements.
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While not all of these have necessarily chosen to remain in their homes, with some choosing to leave, CI Clark reiterated why they are making these recommendations.
He added: 'I cannot say enough how much of a risk there, so I must reiterate my advice that anybody who has been asked to evacuate, please do so.'
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The chief inspector added that he is satisfied with how the operation has been going so far and that there is a positive atmosphere at the station.
'The operation has been extremely well planned and prepared for and our officers are very secure in what they need to do,' he added. 'We had a secure plan in place which we are carrying out.
'What we don't want to do is have to turn this operation into rescue situation, so I would urge people to stay away from vulnerable areas such as the seafront.'
