The final part in the Ipswich Flood Defence jigsaw has now been completed with a special gate fitted across the railway line beside the River Orwell.

This means a horseshoe-shaped defence barrier now sweeps around the vulnerable area of the River Orwell which should protect low-lying areas of Ipswich from the risk of flooding from a surge tide.

The barrier has been operational for several weeks and the project is now almost complete. All that needs to be finished is some landscaping.

The barrier is due to be formally opened in the spring, but it is already offering protection to the town and is likely to continue to operate for several decades.

It operates in a similar method to a “mini Thames Barrier” and the £70m barrier and flood defence scheme should protect 1,600 homes and 400 businesses in the Waterfront and other low-lying areas of Ipswich town centre from surges like that in 1953.