Giant tank to save homes from flooding

22/09/2005

An underground concrete storage tank will be constructed at a cost of £3.5 million to help prevent homes flooding.

Northumbrian Water will unveil plans for the tank – which will be the size of six, two metre deep Olympic-size swimming pools - at a public meeting being held for people from South Shields who have issues with flooding in the town.

Representatives of both South Tyneside Borough Council and Northumbrian Water will be at the drop-in information session between 5.30pm and 8.00pm at Ashley Primary School, Temple Park Road, South Shields on Thursday 29 September.

The tank, which will be buried more than a metre below ground level, will be under a sports field at Brinkburn recreation ground. Once complete all that will be seen on the surface will be some manhole covers and any sports ground affected will be levelled and reseeded.

With the capacity to hold 11 million litres of storm water, the tank will empty naturally by gravity into the sewerage network. It will take three hours to drain once it has stopped filling after a storm. No pumps or other mechanical equipment will be installed.

Nineteen homes in Ullswater Gardens and Mitford Road in the Cauldwell area of South Shields will directly benefit from the major improvement scheme, which will help protect against the flooding that periodically effects them.

Work will begin in October and is programmed to be finished by May 2006. The reinforced concrete tank will be 112m long by 65m wide by 2.2m deep. Two hundred metres of new sewer will also be laid to connect to the new tank.

Dr Colin Price, Northumbrian Water’s Technical Director, said: “We fully appreciate the distress caused when homes are flooded and are committed to do all we can to help prevent it happening when the cause is within our control.

“In the next five years Northumbrian Water will be carrying out work to directly help prevent flooding to some 400 properties throughout the North East. In total Northumbrian Water will be spending £380 million on improvements to at least 160km of sewer, 500 storm overflows and upgrading treatment works.”

The leader of South Tyneside Council, Councillor Paul Waggott, said:  “We are only too aware of the misery and disruption flooding causes to residents and businesses.  The council welcomes these new measures and officers from Streetscape, Housing and Construction and Environmental Health are all committed to working closely with Northumbrian Water to resolve this and other flooding problems across the borough.”

For further information:  Alistair Baker, Communications and PR Manager, on 0191-301-6851.