Northumbrian Water starts work today on a £600,000 scheme to protect five properties from flooding.

Residents in Whickham are to benefit from a sewerage network upgrade – the £600,000 three-month improvement scheme, will reduce the risk of flooding to five properties at Douglas Gardens and Knightside Gardens.

The essential work involves installing a total of 138 metres of new sewer pipe at Douglas Gardens, Knightside Gardens, West Way and in land adjacent to West Way.

An underground, 385,000 litre storm water storage tank will also be built in land opposite West Way. In times of heavy rainfall wastewater will be stored in the tank, to be returned to the sewerage network after the storm.

Angela Hardcastle, Northumbrian Water’s project manager for the scheme, said:

“Reducing the risk of flooding is one of Northumbrian Water’s main priorities, and this scheme is part of a £1.2 billion investment between 2010 and 2015 to upgrade our vast water and sewerage networks.”