WATER FIRM TO PUMP £16M INTO NETWORK
23 November 2007
Under-fire Yorkshire Water has announced a £16m investment to
improve its pumping network in Hull.
The move comes just days after the utility company was blamed for failing to
prevent mass flooding in the city in June.
A hard-hitting final report by the Independent Review Body (IRB) into the floods
criticised Yorkshire Water for failing to act on long-standing concerns over the
reliability of its drainage operations in Hull.
Now the
company has confirmed it plans to spend £16m to improve the flood resilience of
its pumping infrastructure.
Yorkshire Water says the funding will be used to enhance the current levels of
protection and will include:
Upgrading and replacing stormwater pumps at East and West Hull pumping stations.
Civil engineering works at both stations to enhance flows entering the sewage
treatment works at Saltend.
Additional protection work for an electricity sub-station at the Saltend works.
Improvements to the Bransholme pumping station, which failed after being flooded
in June.
Graham Dixon, director of Yorkshire Water's environmental business unit, said
the investment demonstrated the company's commitment to protecting Hull.
But he said even with the extra investment now being planned, the city could
still flood should it see a repeat of the intense rainfall experienced in June.
He said: "No system could have coped with the amount of rain that fell.
"Our pumping infrastructure performed well, but we are not complacent, which is
why we are making significant further investment in Hull."
Yorkshire Water labelled the findings of the IRB report "disappointing" and
claimed it failed to recognise the complexity of Hull's drainage system.
However, that charge has been denied by the IRB and today's announcement largely
mirrors the review body's recommendations for urgent improvements to pumping
capacity and better flood-proofing for drainage facilities in Hull.
Mr Dixon said: "Building bigger pumps will not solve Hull's flooding issues.
However we recognise the importance of ensuring our systems are more flood
resilient, which is why we are making this investment.
"Any long-term solutions for the city will have to be determined via a
multi-agency approach and we are committed to this approach."
Mr Dixon said customers' bills would not be increased as a result of the new
investment, with the money being diverted from other planned improvement schemes
across the region.
Yorkshire Water has consistently claimed the flooding in Hull was caused by
unprecedented levels of rainfall.
However, the IRB has disputed this, claiming flooding in some parts of the city
would have been less severe had Yorkshire Water properly maintained its ageing
pumping stations across Hull.
Meanwhile, the city council has confirmed it is seeking advice over possible
legal action against Yorkshire Water, as first reported in the Mail yesterday.
The council is currently facing a £100m bill from the cost of flood damage to
its facilities.