GeoGraph - photograph every grid square

The Thames Barrier with the Canada Tower building at Canary Wharf and the Millennium Dome seen between the openings of the Barrier. Also showing the lighting on the structure of the Thames Barrier.

The control of flooding is one of the Environment Agency's most important responsibilities. In the lower part of the tidal Thames the main threat comes from the sea and the defences include a number of moveable gate structures, which are maintained and operated by the Agency.

By far the largest of these is the Thames Barrier. Together with the Barking Barrier and significant gates at the entrances to the old Royal Docks, the Thames Barrier is currently the responsibility of the Agency's Thames Region. Other defences include the Dartford Creek and the Fobbing Horse Barriers, managed by Southern and Anglian Regions.