Tewkesbury (United Kingdom)

Published by SuperAdminMICRODIS


	Location: Tewkesbury, United Kingdom
	Partner: Northumbria University
	Partner involved: Universite catholique de Louvain, Healthnet TPO

Information:

---

Tewkesbury, United Kingdom:

The second MICRODIS survey site in UK is Gloucestershire, a county in south west England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean.

The county town is the city of Gloucester, and other principal towns include Cheltenham, Stroud, Cirencester, and Tewkesbury. The MICRODIS study will focus on the town of Tewkesbury.

Demography:

The district of Tewkesbury has a population of 76,405 while the town itself has a population of 2,550 (1,205 male; 1,345 female) living in 1,353 households, with the majority (81%) living in 1- and 2-person households (Table 44).
Household Sizes in Tewkesbury

Type of Household	Number of Persons
1 person living in Household	635
2 person living in Household	456
3 person living in Household	136
4 person living in Household	82
5 person living in Household	27
6 person living in Household	13
7 person living in Household	3
8 or more people living in Household	0

Source: 2001 census

Types of Dwellings in Tewkesbury

Type of Dwelling	Number of Households
Unshared house or bungalow	891
Unshared flat/apartment	550
Unshared mobile or temporary accommodation	25
Shared dwelling	6

Source: 2001 census

891 of the dwellings in Tewkesbury are privately owned, while 423 properties are rented and 39 occupiers live rent-free.

The population density of Tewkesbury is 13.21 persons/hectare (district density: 1.84).

Geography:

Tewkesbury is a town in Gloucestershire, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Tewkesbury, of which the town is the second largest settlement. The town is part of the Severn River Basin District, the third largest in England and Wales with an area of 21,590 km2 (Environment Agency, 2008). The town itself occupies an area of 1.8 km2, with much of the area comprising of �greenspace� (1.3 km2) and domestic gardens (0.1 km2). The area of water within the town is 0.07 km2 (73,770 m2).

The Severn is the longest river in Britain with a length of 280 km, while the river Avon, one of the main tributaries of the Severn, is 185 km long. Tewkesbury is situated at the junction of these two rivers and part of a broad flat floodplain valley (Figure 34) with very little woodland.

The predominant soil strata are composed of Jurassic Lower Lias clays (EA, 2008), i.e. heavy soils with impeded drainage and naturally high groundwater levels (Fox, undated). Annual rainfall is similar to the UK average and normally lies between 575 and 576 mm (based on 1941-1970 data) with most of the precipitation occurring in autumn and winter (EA, 2008).

The Severn below and above Tewkesbury is heavily modified with weirs, culverts, bank reinforcements and embankments (EA, 2008).

Tewkesbury has a well-preserved medieval character and is of considerable historical and conservation interest.

Economy:

The district of Tewkesbury has an average annual income of 26,953 GBP (GMB, 2005), well in excess of the English average of 22,400 GBP (South West Observatory, undated) and is one of the wealthier regions of the UK.

The area around Tewkesbury is predominated by high-grade arable land and managed grassland pasture.

The area is popular with tourists due to its rural character and picturesque villages and market towns. Recreational activities in and around Tewkesbury include walking, bird watching, navigating the rivers and canals in small boats, canoeing, rowing and fishing. Thus, tourism is a major source of income and employment in Tewkesbury.

conomic activity and industries of employment are presented in Tables 46 and 47.

Economic activity in Tewkesbury

	Number of persons	Percentage of population aged 16-74
Population aged 16-74	1,850

Economically active persons	1,353 (1)	73
Employed part time	204	11
Employed full time	849	46
Self-employed	223	12
Unemployed	44	2 (2)
Full-time student	33	2

Economically inactive persons	497	27
Retired	270	15
Looking after home/family	74	4
Permanently sick/disabled	66	4
Student	35	2
Other	52	3

(1) 53% of population of Tewkesbury; 73%
(2) national average 5,5 (Note: the national average is calculated for the age ranges 16-64 for men and 16-59 for women

Source: 2001 census

Industry of employment

	Number of persons	Percentage of employed population
Agriculture, hunting and forestry	14	1
Manufacturing	289	22
Electricity, gas and water supply	16	1
Construction	74	6
Wholesale and retail trade, repairs	209	16
Hotels and restaurants	87	7
Transport, storage and communications	73	6
Financial intermediation	47	4
Real estate, renting and business activities	87	7
Public administration, defence, social security	71	5
Education	92	7
Health and social work	96	7
Other community, social and personal service activities	55	4

Note: Percentage figures may not add up to 100 due to rounding.

Source: 2001 census

Most people are working within a 20 km radius of Tewkesbury town (1,130 persons; 87 percent of working population) and 95 percent of households own at least one car or van.

Health:

There are three doctors� surgeries and a small 49-bed NHS-run community hospital in Tewkesbury. Specialist doctors and larger hospitals are accessible in nearby Cheltenham and Gloucester.

Of the inhabitants of Tewkesbury in 2001, 1,717 reported to be in good and 599 to be in fairly good health; 234 people described their health as not good, including 484 people who reported that they suffered from a long-term limiting illness, 312 (65%) of which were pensioners. It was found that long-term limiting illnesses were more prevalent in people with no central heating and no access to a car.

Overall, the population of Gloucestershire enjoys an above-average health performance compared to the wider region and the rest of the UK (Gloucestershire County Council, 2005). Life expectancy at birth for Gloucestershire is 77.3 years for men and 81.6 years for women, above the national average of 75.9 years and 80.6 years (Gloucestershire County Council, 2005).

In Gloucestershire, the leading causes of premature deaths over the past ten years were cancer (36.7%) and circulatory disease (33.7%). Respiratory disease, the third main cause for premature deaths in the county, was responsible for 8.4 percent of all premature deaths over the same period (Gloucestershire County Council, 2005). Just over 50 percent of premature deaths occurred between the ages of 65 - 74.

Education:

There are six schools, both primary and secondary, located directly in the town of Tewkesbury. Three of these schools are local authority schools, including one school for children with learning difficulties. Many more schools and nurseries/kindergartens are accessible to the population of Tewkesbury in the wider surrounding area, particularly the nearby cities of Gloucester and Cheltenham.

Religion:

Religious affiliations of the population at both survey sites are summarised in Table 48.

Religious affiliations of the population

	Christian	Buddhist	Hindu	Jewish	Muslim	Sikh	Other	No religion	Not stated
#	1.830	6	5	7	4	0	12	476	211
%	72%	0.2%	0.2%	0.3%	0.2%	0%	0.5%	19%	8%

Source: 2001 census

Language:

English is the main language in Tewkesbury.

Etnicity:

Ethnicity of the population at both survey sites is summarised in Table 49.

Ethnic Composition of Survey Sites

Ethnicity	#	%
White British	2,452	96%
White Irish	9	0.4%
White other	43	1.7%
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean	3	0.1%
Mixed: White and Black African	0
Mixed: White and Asian	3	0.1%
Mixed: Other Mixed	0
Indian	5
Pakistani	0
Bangladeshi	0
Other Asian	3	0.1%
Caribbean	3	0.1%
African	0
Other Black	0
Chinese	20	0.8%
Other Ethnic Group	4	0.2%
Note: Percentage figures may not add up to 100 due to rounding

Source: 2001 census

Disaster experience:

Flooding is the only major disaster risk in Tewkesbury, and the Severn catchment has a long and well-documented history of flooding (EA, 2008). Tidal effects of the river Severn are usually confined to the stretch of river up to Gloucester and only reach Tewkesbury in unusual circumstances (EA, 2008).

Tewkesbury is situated at the Avon and Severn confluence and has thus always been prone to fluvial flooding due to its position on the main fluvial floodplain and the potential contribution of two separate river catchments to flooding events. There are 1,800 people in 800 households situated directly on the floodplain in the Tewkesbury district (Gloucestershire County Council, 2007).

Prior to the severe 2007 flood there have been five other recent major flooding events within the catchment (February 2004, February 2002, Autumn 2000, October 1998 and Easter 1998). However, Tewkesbury town itself was only affected by the flooding in autumn 2000, which had been the largest flooding event on record in the lower Severn catchment before 2007 (EA, 2008).

The first recorded flood in Tewkesbury was in 1484 and since then the town has experienced flooding events approximately every 30-50 years. The largest flood level of historic flooding events (records from 1862-1990) was recorded in 1947, triggered by warm rain falling on snow (EA, 2008).

The Social Flood Vulnerability Index (SFVI) for Tewkesbury is very low (EA, 2008) and people in this town are assumed to be better able to respond to and recover from flooding events than in more deprived and/or urban areas of the catchment.

The district of Tewkesbury received 80-90 mm of rain on the 20 July, which amounts to almost two months rainfall in just one day and caused severe flooding of the town (EA, 2008). A water level of 12.93 metres above sea level was recorded at the river Severn on the 23rd of July, 2007 (previously the highest recorded level was 12.80 in March 1947). The main events are summarised in Table 50.

Summary of July floods in Tewkesbury

Cause of flooding	Impacts on people, properties and infrastructure	Environment Agency Response
Heavy rain on 20 July caused extensive flooding across the lower Severn catchment, and in many places river levels were the highest ever recorded. We recorded record flood levels in Tewkesbury as a result of exceptional flows in the River Teme and River Avon and heavy rainfall across Gloucestershire. River levels at the Mythe gauge reached a peak of 5.43 m on 22 July. The previously highest recorded level was 5.3 m in March 1947. Normal summer levels are around 0.5 m. The July flood on the River Severn between Upton upon Severn and Gloucester has been assessed as having between a 0.66 per cent and 0.5 per cent probability of occurring in any year.	An estimated 810 properties were affected by flooding in Tewkesbury. On 22 July, Severn Trent Water�s Mythe water treatment works in Tewkesbury was flooded. This left 350,000 people across Gloucestershire without water for up to 18 days. Properties were first flooded on 20 July from surface water that could not drain away quickly enough or from the smaller watercourses of Carrant Brook and Tirle Brook which reacted quickly to the local run-off (including some main rivers such as the River Swilgate). Further flooding occurred over the weekend from main rivers, including the River Severn, Carrant Brook and River Avon. Some properties flooded twice, first from surface water then from rising river levels. The centre of Tewkesbury town was completely cut off from vehicles as a result of the floods. The severe weather caused widespread disruption, closing the M5 and grid locking other routes.	We issued Flood Watches and Warnings and Severe Flood Warnings of River Severn flooding. We worked with local authorities and emergency services throughout the summer floods. We attended the multiagency emergency Gloucestershire Gold control centre. We provided advice relating to the erection of temporary defenses at Severn Trent Water's Mythe Water Treatment Works. This was to enable the site to be pumped dry and make sure restoration work could start. We have no raised flood defenses at Tewkesbury.

Source: EA, 2008

1,500 buildings were flooded in Tewkesbury by both flash and fluvial flooding (Stuart-Menteth, 2007).

Reference:

2001 census data available online: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/default.asp accessed: 22.09.2008
BBC (2007) The summer floods: What happened [online] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7446721.stm accessed: 08.09.08
Dodov B. (2008) Assessing Flood Risk: A Hydrological Overview of the July UK Floods [online]
Environment Agency (2008) Managing Flood Risk: River Severn Catchment Flood Management Plan, Consultation Draft Plan May 2008, Environment Agency, Bristol
Fox S. (undated) Letter to Cllr V. Smith re increased flooding risk in Tewkesbury and environs [online] http://www.nacra-tewkesbury.org.uk/Influence_of_soils_&_topography_-_letter%5B1%5D%20ammended.pdf accessed: 23.09.2008
Gloucestershire County Council (2005) Health Needs and Care Provisions in Gloucestershire, Environment Research Team, Gloucestershire County Council, Gloucester
Gloucestershire County Council (2007) Demography of floodplain in Gloucestershire Gloucestershire County Council, Gloucester
Gloucestershire County Council (2008) Gloucestershire Population Monitor 2006, Gloucestershire County Council, Gloucester
GMB � Britain�s General Union (2005) First time buyers and low paid priced out of home ownership in 39 southwest areas [online] http://www.gmb.org.uk/shared_asp_files/uploadedfiles/D014776E-529B-4459-B4CB-2F06EC84806F_Housingsw.pdf accessed: 27.09.2008
South West Observatory (undated) State of the South West: Income, Expenditure and Wealth [online] http://www.swo.org.uk/SoSW2007/web/section_229.html accessed: 27.09.2008
Stuart-Menteth A. (2007) UK Summer 2007 Floods Risk Management Solutions Ltd., London Witts D.A., Smith V. (2008) Building on the floodplain is misguided (a proof of evidence): a study of Tewkesbury [online] http://www.floodforum.org.uk/communitygroups/groupupdates/Severn%20and%20Avon%20Combined%20Flood%20Group%20Report%202008.pdf

Photo Album:

Flooded streets of Tewkesbury's Newtown Enumerator looking for households in Tewkesbury Residents brave the flooded streets in Tewkesbury
Source: Google.co.uk Source: UoN MICRODIS Team Source: Google.co.uk

dr.microdis-eu.be -

Tewkesbury (United Kingdom)