£10.8m Arun barrier agreed (From The Argus)
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£10.8m Arun barrier agreed
10:50am Saturday 9th February 2013 in News By Siobhan Ryan
Youngsters making their way along a flooded road in Felpham
Work on a £10.8 million flood defence scheme to protect hundreds of Sussex homes is due to start this autumn.
The scheme for the east bank of the River Arun at Littlehampton is expected to reduce the risk of flooding for up to 750 homes in the area.
The project, which will be carried out by the Environment Agency, was among 93 schemes across the UK given the go-ahead by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs yesterday.
Funding comes from contributions from the Government, councils, businesses and private investors.
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said: “The schemes given the green light will bring huge relief to tens of thousands of homes and businesses that have lived with the fear of flood waters hitting their doors.
“They can get on with their daily lives and work knowing that there are well-built defences.”
Environment Agency south east flood and coastal risk manager Alison Baptiste said: “We’re working hard to reduce the risk of flooding and its impacts.
“With one in six homes in England at risk of flooding, we encourage people to take their own steps to prepare for flooding, for example by signing up to the Environment Agency’s free flood warning service.”
The Environment Agency has been working on the project in partnership with Arun District council since 2009.
Flood defence
The work will lead to the creation of a new flood defence wall along the riverside that will provide protection for the next 100 years.
Littlehampton was badly hit last summer when a month’s worth of rain fell in just 12 hours in June.
It damaged hundreds of homes in the town, surrounding areas and Bognor, leaving some parts under six feet of water.
Emergency service crews and council staff were forced to use inflatable boats to reach more than 200 homes affected.
Work on the project is expected to finish by winter 2015.
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Comments(2)
boblat
says...
10:12pm Sat 9 Feb 13
Dave At Home wrote:Yes! and it should ALL be paid for by the Water Companies!! Whatever gives them the right to slip out from under the Spotlight??..Pay nothing for upgrades and put the Bill's UP....Typical chicken livered Corperations just intent on Profit!!!!
Clean the drains and ditches out and dredge the rivers and streams and it will alleviate a lot of the problems and cost a fraction of that £10m and will last years to come. It's called good house keeping.
Dave At Home says...
12:40pm Sat 9 Feb 13