Flooding to be washed away

FLASH-FLOODING in Leiston will soon be a thing of the past with the installation of a new £2.5 million sewage system.

Valley Road, in the north of the town, is often hit by flooding, particularly during the summer months, when thunderstorms bring torrential downpours.

Cottages at the end of the road, near the sewage works, are frequently flooded due to the current system of pipes being unable to cope with the large volumes of water.

The ambitious new scheme, by Anglian Water, involves laying a new sewage pipe along the edge of the allotments on Valley Road and re-engineering the whole of the sewage works so that storm water can escape more quickly.

A brand new storm tank, three times larger than the existing one, will be installed to collect the extra liquid that flows in to the works when it rains.

Roadside gulleys and drains are also being cleaned more regularly in an effort to prevent more flooding. This is now happening every eight weeks, instead of the usual eight month period.

Sara Rowland, press officer for Anglian Water, said: "This project is good news both for the environment and the people of Leiston.

"Work is due to begin in autumn, hopefully by the end of September, and we expect it to be finished by March."

Residents of the town are welcoming the scheme, but say it should have been done years ago.

Malcolm Briggs' Carr Avenue home is often affected by the flood water and he has been pressurising the council to take action for several years.

He said: "In the last ten years we have had three serious floods and every time it rains the water begins to build up around our homes.

"Several years ago we had to dig about 100 tonnes of mud out of our garden after it ran off the fields.

"It is about time that Anglian Water did something. I think we'll still worry every time it rains but it will just give us that bit more peace of mind."