A £3.5 million scheme to reduce the risk of homes flooding in a London street has been completed by Thames Water six weeks ahead of schedule.

Properties in Dunoon Road, Forest Hill, had been prone to flooding in heavy rain - the successful completion of the project means residents now have extra protection and reassurance in bad weather.

While the water company’s sewers are designed to cope with most storms, rainfall is occasionally so heavy it overwhelms the system.

In Dunoon Road, a new two-metre wide, 100-metre long pipe has been connected to the existing sewer, meaning it can now handle a much greater volume of water than before. At any one time the sewer can now hold 315,000 litres of water.

The sections of the pipe comprise a steel core surrounded by plastic, and are 30 times lighter than traditional concrete sections, meaning they could be connected quickly.

Thames Water engineers worked closely with the community to keep disruption to a minimum, and

Tim Horton, Thames Water’s capital delivery director, said:

“We are dedicated to protecting our customers from flooding. Sometimes the nature of the work means it can be disruptive, so I am really pleased to see this project has attracted so many positives. The team should be very proud of their performance. It was a tremendous job.”