£3m flood recovery begins in North East towns
30th August 2016
Work started on the 22nd August in the towns of Skinningrove and Corbridge as part of a £3million Environment Agency recovery programme to restore damaged flood defences and recover from storms which hit the North East last winter.
Repair work in Skinningrove includes channel clearance and replacement and repairs to debris screens on the Kilton Beck, as well as improving access so they can be cleaned and maintained.
The flood defences in the village were upgraded in a project completed in September 2015, meaning the bridge parapets at Zetland Row now lower automatically at the push of a button, rather than having to be lowered manually.
It significantly reduces the time needed to ensure the flood gates are closed and parapets are lowered when river levels are high.
In Corbridge, at Devils Water a 20 metre scour to the inside of the flood bank will be repaired, with work expected to last until the end of September.
At Stanners Bank, the Environment Agency will be repairing 10 metres of bank erosion near to the Cricket Club, and modifying the crest levels of the ramp so it matches the height of the flood wall.
There will also be the installation of 6 metre long sheet piles to stabilise the toe of the embankment further down from the Cricket Club.
The work near the Cricket Club is expected to last until November 2016.
It will permanently repair flood defences to the standard of protection they provided before the winter flooding this past December.
Floods Minister Thérèse Coffey said:
It is fantastic to see Corbridge’s critical flood defences being strengthened once again - showing how determined we are not just to protect the village, but the whole of the North East.
Northumberland is an area of great natural beauty and culture and we’re committed to completing all repairs to defences ahead of the coming winter. That’s why we’re investing £3 million in flood recovery here, to make sure homes and businesses are ready for this winter.
Alan Cadas, Environment Agency Operations Manager for the North East, said:
The storms this past winter had a terrible impact on people’s lives, homes and businesses and we’re in the process of carrying out repair works across the North East.
Work to get our assets back to the condition they were in prior to the storms is a challenge, but we’re working tirelessly to restore protection to communities.
The Environment Agency is working closely with Northumbrian Water and local authorities to carry out recovery projects.
A community event – hosted by the Environment Agency and partners - was held in Skinningrove earlier this year, which included a live Flood Warning Siren test and a demonstration of new flood defences.
Tynedale was the North East area most affected by winter floods, which saw record rainfall drop on to already saturated land, leading to some of the highest river levels since 1771.
Since December the Environment Agency, Northumberland County Council and Northumbrian Water have been working together to tackle flooding in the Tyne Valley.
This includes repairs to flood defences, sewer network maintenance, repairs to the highways infrastructure and improving community resilience.
Work to identify what more can be done to reduce the risk of flooding in affected communities and to increase resilience to flooding is also underway.
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