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Walham is an English village, situated north of Gloucester, on the banks of the River Severn, just off the A40 road and Sandhurst Lane, 95 miles or 153 km west of London.
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A National Grid substation, providing power to half a million homes and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), is situated at Walham. The substation came to national prominence in July 2007, when it was threatened by a major flood. The fire service and military stopped the flood waters two inches below the height at which the plant would flood. This struggle with nature was dubbed the "Battle for Walham" in national newspapers.
The Village
The village is effectively a suburb of Gloucester, which is to its south.
Battle for Walham
The Battle for Walham was the fight by emergency services and the Environment Agency to save the National Grid 400 kV substation at Walham.
When the River Severn burst its banks during the Gloucestershire floods of 2007, the fire brigade, British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and the Environment Agency joined forces to save the threatened substation.
The water came within 2 inches of overtopping (flooding) the substation controls before receding.
The Environment Agency's Rivers and Coastal Group committee were unanimous in their decision to award the Chairmans Award prize jointly to the Environment Agency and Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue for their work to save Walham.