Felling flood protection

05/03/2010

Hundreds of thousands of pounds will be invested to reduce the risk of homes flooding in Gateshead.

Northumbrian Water is investing £600,000 to improve the sewerage network in the Coldwell Park Drive area of Felling.

Work is to begin on Monday, March 8 2010 and will take up to four months to complete.

In times of extremely heavy rainfall the sewerage network has struggled to cope with the volume of water, which has resulted in flooding to four properties on Coldwell Park Drive.

Brian Ford, project manager for the scheme, said: “Reducing the risk of property flooding is one of Northumbrian Water’s priorities and this is one of dozens of improvement schemes we will be carrying out, throughout the region, over the next couple of years to upgrade our vast sewerage network.

“We will be installing 328 metres of new sewer pipe along Coldwell Park Drive, Coldwell Lane and in open land to the north of Coldwell Park Drive. We will also be building a storm water storage tank in this land, which will store 315,000 litres of water in times of heavy rainfall, to be returned to the sewerage network afterwards.”

It will be necessary to have traffic management in place during the course of this essential work.
Two-way traffic lights will be in operation on Coldwell Lane, from the junction of Falla Park Road to the Bay Horse public house, from Monday March 8 2010 for four weeks.

Traffic management will be in place to allow vehicles to rejoin Coldwell Lane from the rear of the shops situated on this road, and also from Mandarin Lodge and Harlequin Lodge.

A section of Coldwell Park Drive, from number 59 to number 81, may be closed during certain phases of the work and vehicular access will not be possible at these times. Residents affected by this restricted vehicular access will be notified in advance by the contractor working for Northumbrian Water.

Construction traffic will need access to the sites where improvement work is being carried out and to the site compound, which is to be located in open land to the north of Coldwell Park Drive.

Customers who require further information or who have any special needs should ring Northumbrian Water’s customer centre on 0845 717 1100.

The water company will not need to gain access into customers’ homes while the work is being carried out in Gateshead. Access may be required to manholes located on private land.

If customers are in any doubt of a caller claiming to be from Northumbrian Water, they should not let them into their home. They should ring the company’s customer centre to confirm the caller’s identity.

For more information contact Leanne Clough on 0191 301 6733.