Sustainable Drainage works began on Washdyke Lane and Woodlands Avenue in Immingham in summer 2025. This project is funded by Defra as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes which is managed by the Environment Agency.
These works involved replacing the existing grass verges with rain gardens. A rain garden is a sustainable drainage (or SuDS) feature, which allows us to drain the surface water from the road into a flower bed. Underneath each flower bed is a storage tank to store the water and slowly drain it back into the sewer network. By slowing down the flow of water into the sewers, it reduces the flow volumes in the sewerage system during heavy rainfall. This extra capacity within the drainage network helps to reduce flood risk in the area.
This phase of works is now almost complete. Contractors have finished the west side of Washdyke Lane, along with the junction of Washdyke Lane and Woodlands Avenue. The final stage of Woodlands Avenue will be completed in late April, early May.
Works have now started on Copse Close, which involves replacing the existing channel blocks on both sides of the road with a linear drainage channel system called an ACO Drain.
Similar to the rain gardens, the ACO Drain will store surface water runoff from the road during rainfall and flow controls will allow the water to slowly drain into the sewer network and help prevent the overwhelming of the sewers. By slowing down the flow of water into the sewers, it will reduce the flow volumes in the sewerage system during heavy rainfall. This extra capacity within the drainage network will help to reduce flood risk in the area.
The works will be completed under localised traffic management, and the contractors will try to keep disruption to a minimum. Works will be carried out during the day, Monday to Friday, with no overnight or weekend works planned.
Councillor Stewart Swinburn, Portfolio Holder for Housing, Infrastructure and Transport, said: “I’m pleased to see work is progressing well in this project. It is a great example of how innovative, sustainable solutions can make a real difference to local flood risk. With the introduction of the rain gardens and the new ACO drainage system, it will slow the flow of water into the sewer network, providing much‑needed extra capacity during periods of heavy rain.”
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