New sewers to end flooding misery for Lambeth homes

The proposed £20 million scheme - part of Thames Water's £320 million investment programme to tackle sewer flooding across its network, will increase the capacity of the sewers, making overflows into homes and properties less likely. The proposed works are expected to be complete by June 2009.

Andrew Wolfe, Thames Water's Project Manager, said: "This work is vitally important to protect the hundreds of homes currently at risk from flooding. Sewer flooding is an unpleasant and distressing experience for anyone, and the improvements we are making will greatly reduce the risk of it happening again."

"This is an essential scheme to upgrade the infrastructure in the area. Although there will be short term disruption, the benefits to the community will last a lifetime"

The majority of the new pipework - some of which is 2.5 meters wide - will be inserted by tunnelling with special machinery underground, thereby helping to avoid disruption at street level.

The project will involve the construction of more than four kilometres (2.5 miles) of new pipes, to ensure the sewers are better able to cope with storms. In addition, connections will be made from the local network into larger sewers to help carry rainwater and sewage out of the area and prevent floods.

The Thames Water operational area, covering London and the Thames Valley, has the greatest number of properties at risk of internal flooding from sewers in England and Wales. This is due to increasing demands placed upon the network, much of which was constructed in Victorian times. Increasing housing density and changing weather patterns, with more intense summer storms, add to the problem.

The company is investing £323m between 2005-2010 in upgrading sewers, which will benefit more than 10,000 customers.
Thames Water is already upgrading sewers throughout London, with projects underway in Ealing, West Ham, Bromley, Wandsworth and Hampstead.


Fruther information:
Thames Water
Don Sharples (Press Office)
Tel: +44 118 373 8924
Email: don.shaples@thameswater.co.uk
Web: www.thameswater.co.uk