Keswick flood work 'will protect hundreds of properties'
- Published
Engineering work aimed at protecting hundreds of properties from flooding in a Lake District town is set to get under way.
The scheme, which will see the construction of a new flood storage basin and a pumping station at Keswick, will begin on Monday.
Cumbria County Council said contractors were determined to keep disruption to a minimum.
Keswick Flood Action Group said it was relieved the scheme was going ahead.
The county council said the Penrith Road area "forms one of the greatest areas of surface water flood risk in the county in terms of scale, frequency and impact on the local community".
Councillor Keith Little, cabinet member for highways and transport, described the scheme, which will cost about £2m, as a "significant investment".
He said: "A lot of detailed background work has been carried out behind the scenes to understand how and why flooding tends to be more devastating in the Penrith Road area than other parts of the county."
Mr Little said the work "will protect hundreds of properties from future flooding events, and stop the extent of surface water from disrupting the surrounding highways and local businesses".
Penrith Road will be closed for 14 weeks while the work takes place.
Many homes in the town were evacuated in December 2015 as Storm Desmond saw record levels of rain fall across Cumbria.
Lynne Jones, chair of Keswick Flood Action Group, said risks in the area were highlighted in 2005 with subsequent work not resolving the issue.
"We are very relieved that the scheme is, at last, going ahead," she said.
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