Press release: £1m culvert repair work to reduce flood risk set to begin

The £1million culvert repair project is due to start on Monday 23 July and is expected to take 13 weeks to complete.

Environment Agency contractors, JBA Bentley, will be on site to carry out the work in the Lancashire town to make Victoria Clough culvert structurally sound.

Culverts are structures which carry water underground. They were often built to allow development to take place around them such as roads, homes and businesses. Many people live and work near culverts and may not even know they are there.

A new culvert will be installed beneath the disused railway embankment to replace the existing one which has collapsed. The team will also re-line or replace a number of sections along the length of the culvert at locations under Victoria Road and the A56 Skipton Road.

A new and improved trash screen will also be fixed at the inlet of the culvert, to help reduce the risk of it becoming blocked with debris and making it easier and safer to clear when water levels are high.

During the period of work there will be disruption to traffic using the A56 and Victoria Road. There will need to be road closures on Valley Road and New Road with local diversions and temporary traffic lights put in place, and some parking restrictions on Victoria Road.

Paul Swales flood risk advisor at the Environment Agency said:

Earby has suffered devastating flooding over recent years, most notably the Boxing Day 2015 flood. We’re pleased to be starting this repair work which will bring significant flood risk benefits to homes and businesses.

We understand that this traffic management could cause some inconvenience so we will do all we can to minimise this disruption as much as possible. We’d like to thank residents and businesses for their patience and understanding while we carry out this essential work to reduce flood risk.

Funding for the project comes from £813k of Grant in Aid and £200k of Yorkshire Local Levy.

Since the floods of Boxing Day 2015, the Environment Agency has worked in partnership with Pendle Borough Council, Lancashire County Council and Yorkshire Water to develop schemes to reduce flood risk in Earby.

Options explored

The Environment Agency continues to explore other options to reduce flood risk from all sources in and around Earby. Over the next 12 months, the team will investigate the options in more detail, which include flood storage areas on Earby Beck, the New Cut and Victoria Clough and installing a flood defence wall at Boot Street.

The Environment Agency is looking for volunteer flood wardens to play a key part in keeping Earby prepared and informed before, during and after a flood. Anyone interested in becoming a flood warden can email heather.cottrill@environment-agency.gov.uk to find out more.

By signing up to the Environment Agency’s free Flood Warning service residents and businesses can receive flood alerts and flood warnings for Earby Beck and/or Earby New Cut directly to their phone and emails, 24/7. Find out if you’re at risk and register for free flood warnings.