£3 million North East flood scheme complete

The £3 million Lustrum Beck Flood Alleviation Scheme in Stockton-on-Tees is complete.

The Environment Agency and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council worked together on the £3 million award-winning scheme, which included replacing Londonderry Bridge and building new flood walls along the beck.

The Environment Agency also installed a new lifting screen at the culvert at Primrose Hill and had previously built a new flood wall along Bishopton Road.

The scheme reduces the risk of flooding to over 150 homes in the town.

An official opening marked the completion of the first phase of the project, and residents were invited to a community drop-in event and walking tour of the defences to find out how they are better protected.

Oliver Harmar, Environment Agency area director, said: “This is a fantastic project with some unique features which has increased flood protection to over 150 properties.

“We’ve worked closely with Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council throughout which has enabled us to provide Stockton with an excellent scheme with a high level of protection.

“And we’re not finished yet. The next phase involves looking at storing flood water further upstream at Coatham Woods, as well as creating new habitat.

“This makes Lustrum Beck a great project which will see us combine traditional engineering solutions with natural flood management.”

Mike Smith, the council’s cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “The replacement of Londonderry Bridge was an essential part of the broader scheme to help reduce the flood risk to homes.

“The old bridge was a major contributor to serious flooding because its arches obstructed the beck’s flow. Replacing it with a new, single span bridge has reduced the risk of the kind of devastating flooding we’ve seen in recent years.

“We’d like to thank local people for their patience and understanding throughout this project, and it’s good to give them this opportunity to find out how the new flood protection measures all work.”