Roadworks in place as £4m flood defence works in Yaxley continue
A series of roadworks and footpath closures are to be in place throughout September and October as major flood prevention works take place.
Anglian Water is investing £4 million in the Yaxley catchment area (which includes Yaxley, Folksworth and Stilton), which is particularly vulnerable to the risk of flooding.
During previous periods of wet weather, the pumping station at the junction of Windsor Road and Main Street can get overwhelmed by surface water. Telemetry shows that flows in the network almost treble in the network during heave rain. This caused the site to have to use tankers at the pumping station to protect the local environment and prevent flooding.
What has been done so far?
- Investigations across 25km of foul sever network have identified more than 60,000m2 of misconnected rainwater pipes (this wastewater would fill approximately 1.2 Olympic-sized swimming pools every hour) and a significant number of other surface water misconnections.
- Downpipes from buildings or Highway road drains have been wrongly connected to the foul sewer, thus reducing its capacity during rainfall – the amount of rain that runs off from an average roof can be equivalent to the foul sewage produced from 100 homes.
- 1,000 points of infiltration, all of which are putting significant pressure on the network have been found.
What’s next?
- In June, Phase Two of the works have begun. As part of this, Anglian Water will re-line over 730 metres of the gravity sewer network and patch line a total of over 890 metres to help reduce infiltration.
- A total of 29 manhole covers will be sealed to prevent surface water ingress.
- Lining works is expected to be completed by November with surface water removal works by Spring 2026.
Traffic management measures required
- September 29-30 Mill Road, Stilton. Footpath Closure.
- October 1-2, Laurel Close / Church Street, Yaxley. Footpath Closure.
- October 6-9, Various sections of Church Close, Stilton. Road closure and two-way lights.
- October 13-16, Dovecote Lane, Yaxley. Three-way lights.
- October 20-22, Various sections of Westfield Road, Yaxley. Footpath closure and two-way lights.
- October 23-24, Manor Road / Cooper Thornhill Road, Stilton. Footpath Closure.
- October 27-29, Various sections of Lancaster Way, Yaxley. Three-way lights.
- October 29-30, Various sections of Mountbatten Avenue / Chapel Street, Yaxley. Four-way lights.