Your questions answered
The Maidenhead Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation Scheme (MWEFAS) which includes the Jubilee Flood Relief Channel is designed and operated to ensure that it does not make flooding worse for communities downstream.
- The River Thames generally tends to respond slowly after heavy or prolonged rainfall, with river levels in the Thames rising slowly, and then staying high for weeks before dropping back down.
Communities along the lower Thames are at risk of flooding. Many of these communities have suffered serious floods in the past.
At the Environment Agency we work hard to find ways to reduce flood risk to communities without increasing flood risk to others.
The flooding seen along the River Thames, both upstream and downstream of the Jubilee is caused by the natural behaviour of the river in response to heavy or prolonged rainfall.
Rain falls in the hills and travels into the streams and rivers that flow into the River Thames.
The water then moves gradually down the Thames, and when river levels get too high, water will naturally flow across the floodplain, flooding low lying land including fields, roads, and sometimes properties. This happens all along the River Thames.
If we didn’t use the Jubilee, many homes and businesses in Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton would be at risk of flooding. The flood waters would flow downstream and continue to flood communities downstream of the Jubilee.
By using the Jubilee, we split some water from the Thames, so that it flows down the Jubilee rather than across the floodplain. This reduces flood risk to homes and businesses in Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton.
The channel re-joins the Thames just above Datchet in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.
Communities downstream of the Jubilee do not benefit from it, but they are not at increased risk either.
- Ashford Lane footbridge, Dorney. Contact www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk
- Allotments footbridge, near A332/ B3022, Slough. Contact www.slough.gov.uk
- Black Potts footbridge, near Eton Road, Datchet. Contact Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
- Berry Hill footbridge, Taplow. Contact www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk
- Amerden Lane Bridge (what3words location:https://what3words.com/frosted.lend.hopes)
- West Town Farm Bridge (what3words location: https://what3words.com/these.apple.wages)
- Manor Farm Bridge (what3words location: https://what3words.com/march.trim.lately)
- Wood Lane Bridge (what3words location https://what3words.com/crown.agenda.storm)
What happens downstream of the Jubilee Flood Relief Channel?
Why do we see flooding along the River Thames?
How does the Environment Agency work to manage flood risk, and what part does the Jubilee Flood Relief Channel play?
To find out more about how the Environment Agency work to manage flood risk including the part the Jubilee plays, please click this link to watch a short video.
Footbridges over the Jubilee: who looks after them?
Did you know that all the footbridges over the Jubilee are the responsibility of the relevant council?
Many were constructed at the same time as the Jubilee.
Here is a list of footbridges that are currently closed to the public for safety reasons, and which council to contact for more information:
The following footbridge was replaced in 2023:
Road and rail bridges over the Jubilee: who looks after them?
Most of the road and railway bridges over the Jubilee are maintained by the relevant local council, National Highways or Network Rail.
There are 4 bridges that remain the responsibility of the Environment Agency: