WIRRAL Council said the “integrity” of the West Kirby flood wall was “not breached” following flooding in the borough.

As stormy weather battered Merseyside on Tuesday April 9, water from waves crashing against the West Kirby sea wall spilled over the top onto South Parade.

The flooding forced staff at Tanskeys Bistro to be evacuated by the RNLI, caused damage to some properties, moved cars, and trapped people inside their homes.

Long after the tide receded, flood water remained behind the wall with part of Coronation Gardens still flooded yesterday (Wednesday, April 10).

Though flooding on the road had cleared, it has raised questions about the effectiveness of the defence which was completed in 2023 with a final cost of £19.7m.

Posting on social media yesterday evening, Wirral Council stated that all the floodgates were “secured and closed well ahead of the event” and the “integrity of the wall was not breached at all”.

The statement read: “Throughout today, we've been assessing the impact of yesterday’s storm on coastal areas.

“At West Kirby, the flood wall bore the brunt of extreme tidal surges and significantly reduced the potential impact of flooding on properties and infrastructure. All the flood gates were secure and closed well ahead of the event and the integrity of the wall was not breached at all.

“Clearly there were issues caused by waters crashing into and then over the wall, with the sheer volume causing water to pool on the road for a short time before draining away, but the indications so far are that very limited damage was caused, especially compared to the extensive damage caused by previous storms.

“Crews were on site this morning and most debris has been cleared, with further cleaning to follow.

“Crews have also been at Hoylake, Meols and New Brighton to inspect and clean up - with most work needed at New Brighton.”