Yorkshire Water is continuing with its £120 million programme of work to upgrade its sewer network and treatment works to help further reduce the risk of flooding to hundreds of properties across the region.
Work will soon be underway to give two stretches of Victorian sewer in York a 21st century makeover - the half a million pound scheme will see contractors Mott MacDonald Bentley and Duffy replace sections of public sewer along Tower Street and Fishergate, both of which have been prone to collapsing in recent years due to their age.
The work is expected to prevent flooding from the sewers for years to come, which can occur when sewers become overloaded during times of heavy rainfall.
In a separate project Yorkshire Water is spending £250,000 to protect a dozen properties in Huddersfield from sewer flooding. Yorkshire Water's engineering contract partners BarhaleWSP are installing a large waste water storage chamber under a section of Far Banks, Huddersfield, which will be capable of holding more than 200,000 litres of water.
Work has begun to install the storage tank and pumps which will collect storm water during wet weather, with a new section of sewer also being created to transfer flows from the tank to the existing sewer in the road. It is anticipated that the work will be complete by the end of March.
Den Tansey of Yorkshire Water's community engagement team, said:
"More intense storms resulting from climate change, increased housing development and the paving over of green spaces are all increasing the amount of surface water entering the sewer network. This, combined with people disposing of inappropriate waste in the sewers, is contributing to an increased risk of sewers flooding homes and properties.
"We believe, like our customers, that sewer flooding is unacceptable. And whilst we can't tackle the problem by ourselves, this latest investment underlines our continuing commitment to playing our part in helping to reduce the risk of sewer flooding to our customers and operating as a responsible company dedicated to providing customers with the best possible service."
In addition to upgrading its sewer network, the company will also be installing more pumping stations around the region which help to speed up the sewage treatment process.
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