Canvey Island barriers spanning Benfleet Creek to the north and East Haven Creek in the west. The drainage system consists of sewers, culverts, natural and artificial dykes and lakes which feed seven pumping stations and gravity sluices that discharge the water into the Thames and creeks. Four of the discharge sites are "high flow" stations capable of discharging 600 litres of water per second at any tide level. The levels within the system are managed by a further five "low flow" pumping stations. The Environment Agency's Thames Estuary 2100 flood defence plan includes Canvey Island as one site for alleviating the flood
Hilbre Islands Hilbre Islands The Hilbre Islands ( ) are an archipelago consisting of three islands at the mouth of the estuary of the River Dee, the border between England and Wales at this point. The islands are administratively part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. They are a Local Nature Reserve and are within the estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest. As of 2012, the islands have no permanent residents. The name is thought to derive from a chapel built on the Island and dedicated to St. Hildeburgh. During the summer months tourists travel by foot to the Islands from West