The Environment Agency has completed a £6.5 million flood defence scheme for Hexham in Northumberland which willl better protect up to 90 businesses.
The Hexham Flood Alleviation Scheme better protects two key industrial estates at risk from the Rivers Tyne and Skinnersburn.
Both rivers have a long history of flooding, notably causing considerable damage and disruption at the Bridge End and Tyne Mills Industrial Estates on 5 December 2015 during Storm Desmond.
The scheme was formally opened on 7 September by Guy Opperman MP for Tynedale and Ponteland at an official ribbon cutting event.
The new defences, a combination of flood walls and grass embankments, will help to protect one of the town’s most important commercial areas.
On the south bank, at Tyne Mills, 300 metres of new flood defence has been constructed from east of the Northumbrian Water Peth Head Pumping Station and along the edge of the Northumberland County Council yard, crossing the Skinnersburn and tying into high ground.
On the north bank, at Bridge End, 370 metres of new flood defence has been created from the existing flood embankment behind Egger UK Ltd to the former Reiver Sports site, where it crosses the site and ties into high ground in the northwest corner.
As well as reducing flood risk, the scheme has also been cutting carbon by trialling the use of two innovative mixes of low-carbon concretes for the first time in the UK. The low carbon mix has been used across two panels of the defences, totalling 27 metres.
Leila Huntington, Environment Agency Operations Manager, said:
“We are delighted that the £6.5 million flood scheme at Hexham is now complete, reducing the flood risk to 90 properties, ahead of winter this year.
“For those affected by flooding, the impact can be catastrophic and life changing. We hope these defences will bring peace of mind to everybody living and working in the area and will for many years to come.”
BAM and Arup were delivery partners on the scheme, working on the design and construction of the defences, whilst Northumberland County Council helped to provide additional funding.
Gareth Farrier, Divisional Director at BAM, said:
“It has been fantastic to support the Environment Agency in the delivery of these vital flood defences in Hexham. The success of the scheme is the result of the incredible collaboration between the Environment Agency, Arup, BAM and our suppliers which has delivered not only long-term flood protection for the town, but also a pioneering low-carbon concrete design.”
Donald Daly, Associate at Arup added:
“The scheme’s use of low carbon concrete demonstrates the innovation now possible for climate resilience interventions. Arup has been privileged to support the Environment Agency in reducing the risk of flooding to Hexham while also reducing the embodied carbon of grey infrastructure, enabling net zero and resilience agendas to work hand in hand.”
Sulzer has launched a new global Center of Excellence (CoE) for Water Treatment Solutions - the CoE consolidates Sulzer’s wastewater treatment expertise in a unified and global manner.
“SAS (Surplus Activated Sludge) is a bit weird and 
Owen Mace has taken over as Director of the British Plastics Federation (BPF) Plastic Pipes Group on the retirement of Caroline Ayres. He was previously Standards and Technical Manager for the group.
PureTec Separations, the Ledbury-based water treatment engineering firm, has appointed Dan Norman as its new Sales Manager – Water Process Systems, supporting the company’s continued growth in the UK and international markets.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.