Mini-dumper trucks used to tackle Darwen's blocked culverts (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Mini-dumper trucks used to tackle Darwen's blocked culverts
4:30pm Saturday 21st July 2012 in News
MINI-DUMPER trucks are operating beneath a Darwen road to clear out blocked culverts that caused devastating floods in the town.
There is a network of culverts built about a hundred years ago to carry water from the River Darwen underground.
But a blockage in the culverts led to a huge build-up of water during the heavy downpours last month which caused floods along the A666.
The Environment Agency has now dug a nine-metre-square hole in Snape Street to removed debris that caused the blockage.
Work in the culverts is expected to last between eight and 12 weeks, with about 2,000 tonnes of waste material to be removed.
The dumpers, driven by workers wearing breathing apparatus to keep them safe in the underground tunnel, will collect debris, which is then scooped out by a digger and put into skips.
The work is expected to cost at least £450,000, taking the agency’s recent expenditure, including work to remove the culvert at Shorey Bank, in the town to about £1.6million.
Work in the culvert will also include a plastic lining to stop water seeping through to the road surface in future.
Once the culvert is cleared the agency will also repair the damaged pavement on the A666 in front of shops between Preston Street and Lloyd Street.
Darwen MP Jake Berry said: “It is fantastic we have managed to get such a big grant to to this work to the River Darwen.
“I want to make sure that money is being spent to make sure homes and businesses in Darwen are protected from extreme weather.
“I would also urge people to bear with us with the roadworks as we are working towards improving the town and its infrastructure.”
Sudell councillor Paul Browne, who lives in nearby Greenway Street, said: “The Environment Agency is doing a good job and with the money they are spending on it this should solve the problem for the future.
“We don’t want all this happening again and I hope that these guys do the business for us.”
Tony Callaghan from the Environment Agency said: “When completed, the repairs will reduce the risk of flooding to more than 150 properties.”
Comments(12)
andybNelson
says...
6:01pm Sat 21 Jul 12
A Darener
says...
6:40pm Sat 21 Jul 12
andybNelson wrote:Don't care who does it as long as someone does. If I had a sludge gulper I would do it myself.
Thats the useless ones at Blackburn Councils Job. But dont hold your breath they have probably diverted money to pay for another high paid executive.
prince of darkness
says...
8:00pm Sat 21 Jul 12
RUinsane
says...
8:32pm Sat 21 Jul 12
prince of darkness wrote:Its probably easier to hold back 6 million from the budget and just pay the compensation claims
Why should they require a grant for what should be maintenace. Or do they wait until things like this happen.How many others are out there.Hope this does the job.
over-rovers
says...
10:37pm Sat 21 Jul 12
over-rovers
says...
10:39pm Sat 21 Jul 12
A Darener wrote:if you can afford to live on hawkshaw you can get your butler to unblock the drains
And when they have finished that they can unblock all the Gulleys along the A666 and connecting streets e.g. Hawkshaw Ave for one. Most of the gulleys blocked with silt.
2 for 5p
says...
1:29am Sun 22 Jul 12
english rose 1
says...
1:35am Sun 22 Jul 12
andybNelson wrote:..............but the number of high paid exectutives at BwD has actually reduced by a third,.
Thats the useless ones at Blackburn Councils Job. But dont hold your breath they have probably diverted money to pay for another high paid executive.
A Darener
says...
3:14pm Sun 22 Jul 12
over-rovers wrote:Would you like the job? My last one left, complained of being over worked and his son didn't like keep going up the chimney.
A Darener wrote:if you can afford to live on hawkshaw you can get your butler to unblock the drains
And when they have finished that they can unblock all the Gulleys along the A666 and connecting streets e.g. Hawkshaw Ave for one. Most of the gulleys blocked with silt.
allan1957
says...
4:45pm Sun 22 Jul 12
Your ferret stinks
says...
12:54pm Mon 23 Jul 12
allan1957 wrote:Allan, don't hold your breath as i bet a pound to a pinch of this dirt someone will forget and leave a dump truck down there!
As reported earlier in the Telegraph a blockage in the culvert was only discovered after tests were carried out after the latest flooding at Knott S tThe culvert would have got blocked over many years I assume once the culvert has been unblocked this will remain so for quite a few years not a job i fancy doing well done lads
A Darener says...
5:08pm Sat 21 Jul 12