Northumbrian Water is holding a meeting tomorrow to set out the next phase of a scheme to reduce the likelihood of flooding to properties in the Lakes Estate area of Hebburn.

The water company is investing a total of £5.8million to upgrade the sewer network in the area- the work follows a scheme completed last year to provide flood protection to 21 homes.

Northumbrian Water’s contractor Seymour Civil Engineering is due to start work on on March 17 and the scheme is expected to take about eight months to complete.

The latest work involves the construction of two overflow chambers and of a concrete storage tank, together with the installation of new sewers.

Seymour also started work yesterday on a £390,000 sewer network upgrade to help protect five homes in Shotley Bridge from flooding, while an £825,000 flood alleviation to protect homes in Prudhoe from flooding got underway last week.

Northumbrian Water is investing £150m between 2010 and 2015 to help protect areas throughout the region that are prone to flooding.