Flood of information

22/05/2007

Residents are invited to find out more about work which will reduce the risk of flooding in Durham.

Northumbrian Water is to invest £2.5 million to further upgrade and increase capacity of the sewerage network in the Newton Hall area. 

A drop-in customer information session is to be held on Tuesday, June 5 2007 at Northumbrian Water’s head office, Abbey Road, Durham between 3.00pm and 8.00pm.

Customers will have the opportunity to discuss the second phase of flood alleviation work, which will begin on Monday June 11, 2007 and take up to nine months to complete. 

This work, which will reduce the risk of flooding in times of heavy rainfall to land and 28 properties in Salisbury Road, York Crescent, Canterbury Road, Rochester Road and Rothbury Road, will involve installing 1300 metres of new sewer pipe and a 1600m3 storage tank – the tank has the capacity equivalent to one Olympic-size swimming pool. 
 
Andrew Blakemore, Northumbrian Water’s Sewerage Operations Controller, said:  “We appreciate that some customers in the Newton Hall area have suffered flooding in times of heavy rainfall and that this can be most distressing for those affected.  I encourage customers in the area to come along to the customer information session where we will explain the work in detail and also answer any questions or concerns they may have.

The two phases of improvement work in Newton Hall will help to reduce the risk of flooding to land and 40 properties.”

New sections of sewer pipe will run along Rothbury Road, Rochester Road, Canterbury Road, Salisbury Road and across Finchale Road.  The new storage tank is to be located in a field north of Finchale Road.

During the course of the work it will be necessary to have temporary traffic management in place.  Northumbrian Water is working closely with Durham County Council and, the bus company, Arriva, to carefully plan this traffic management and required diversions to bus routes.  Everything will be done to keep inconvenience to a minimum.
 
For further advice or if customers have any special needs they should ring Northumbrian Water on 0845 717 1100.

It is very unlikely that anyone from the water company will need to gain access into customers’ homes while the work is being carried out in the Newton Hall area.  If customers are in any doubt of a caller claiming to be from the water company, they should not let them into their home.  They should ring the company’s customer centre to confirm the caller’s identity.