£27 million Northumberland flood scheme completed

The Environment Agency and Northumberland County Council’s multi-million pound flood scheme in Morpeth is complete.

Work to construct Cotting Burn dam was the final part of work on the joint Environment Agency and Northumberland County Council flood alleviation scheme.

The dam works alongside other flood protection measures to reduce flood risk to around 1,000 properties in Morpeth.

Separate work by the Council to address surface water flooding at several locations in the town is underway and scheduled for completion by March 2018 at a cost of £1 million. It is being financed through a government grant from the Environment Agency and county council funding.

A drop-in event to thank residents for their patience throughout the construction took place on Friday 21 July.

Alan Cadas, Operations Manager in the North East, Environment Agency, said: “The Morpeth flood scheme is the biggest in the North East and boasts one of the largest flood storage areas the Environment Agency has ever built.

“But this work on the Cotting Burn is equally important and works together with the other features to ensure Morpeth is protected from both the burn and the River Wansbeck.

“This has been a great partnership involving local residents, who have played, and continue to play, a vital role in the success of the scheme. It shows that by working together with others we can create long term solutions to reduce the risk of flooding in our communities.”

Glen Sanderson, Northumberland County Council’s Cabinet member for Environment and Local Services, said: “We’re delighted this major joint scheme to protect the people of Morpeth is now complete.

“This was a great example of agencies working together on a hugely ambitious engineering project and the fact it has already been used more than proves its worth.

“One of the cornerstones of the scheme has been the help and support of the local community, and their input and engagement has been absolutely invaluable throughout.”