Slimbridge flooding issues to be tackled in Severn Trent £1.2million sewer improvement scheme

Improvements will be made to sewer systems in the two villages by Severn Trent in the £1.2million project to alleviate issues which are exacerbated by the area’s high groundwater level.

The company, which deals with waste water and water treatment, will be hosting a public exhibition on Tuesday (October 25) to give residents the opportunity to learn more about the planned work.

Severn Trent planning manager Chris Kelsey, said: “We’re going to be making some vital improvements to the sewer systems in Slimbridge and Cambridge to help reduce the amount of natural groundwater entering the pipes.

“The groundwater levels are very high in this area and the water has been getting in to our network of sewer pipes and chambers.

“This has resulted in sewer flooding to vulnerable properties in the area. We know this isn’t acceptable and we’re determined to do all we can to help prevent it.

“The work we’ll be doing will increase the capacity in the sewers and reduce the risk of flooding.”

The initial phase of sewer lining work will begin in November this year and is expected to take up to six weeks to complete. The main work will then take place from Spring 2017.

Chris added: “The work we’re proposing will be spread across various locations in Slimbridge and Cambridge. Some of this work will take place in the highway, and some within private land.

“We’ll be doing all we can to minimise the amount of disruption caused by the work, including using ‘trenchless’ techniques to seal the pipes which will reduce the amount of excavations needed.

“We will communicate directly with any customers affected by work in private land and provide full details in advance, but we’d really encourage everyone to come along to the drop-in session to find out more about our plans.”

Severn Trent will host the public exhibition with its contract partners NMCNomenca, at Slimbridge Village Hall from 2pm until 7.30pm on Tuesday, October 25.