News

Severn Trent has started work on a £1.5m project to upgrade sewers in Hinckley this week.

The scheme, which will see brand new sewers built to help prevent flooding in the Leicester Road area of the town, got underway on Monday.

James Arkesden, who is leading the project for Severn Trent, explains: “We’re really pleased that all of our preparations and planning meant that we’re able to start making these upgrades to the local sewer system.

“This is a really key project for us and for our customers in Hinckley as, at the moment, when there’s heavy rainfall, several homes are at risk of flooding. This scheme will increase the capacity of the sewers and that’ll really help reduce any chance of problems occurring in the future.

“This has been a long time in the planning, and we held a really successful drop-in session for residents earlier this month where we met with more than 150 people who were keen to find out more about the project, so it’s great to actually get the work started.”

Work has begun on Island Close and will continue into Leicester Road next month as the project progresses. If everything goes to plan the scheme should be complete in September.

James added: “We’ve been working really closely with residents, businesses and the local council to carefully plan the work.

“Our contractors will be working six days a week to help us complete the project more quickly, and we’ve planned it to take place at least partly during the school holidays when the roads will be quieter.

“We'll need to close Island Close and Leicester Road to allow the engineers from NMC Nomenca to work safely, but they’ll be sure to work with residents to keep access to homes open as much as possible. A fully signposted diversion will also be in place for motorists in the area.

“We know this will cause some inconvenience and we’re really grateful for everyone’s patience while we complete this work to protect homes from flooding."

The project forms part of Severn Trent’s commitment to investing in its infrastructure which will see the equivalent of £1,400 invested for every home and business the company serves between 2015 and 2020.

For more information and updates during the project visit www.stw.works.