Multi-million project under way in bid to stop streets flooding
AYEAR-LONG, multi-million pound project is under way to fix sewage problems which cause repeated flooding in Churchtown.
United Utilities will spend the next 12 months carrying out work to both above and below ground to increase the capacity of the sewer network in the area near Verulam Road and Merlewood Avenue.
The streets have repeatedly been left holding deep, stinking water during recent spells of heavy rain, with resident Marianne Blackham-Perry saying that the problem has been ongoing for the last four years.
She explained: “This is an ongoing problem on this street. It seems like every time there is heavy rain, the street floods.
“This morning, the entire road was flooded with murky sewage water.
“The stench in the air at the moment is horrible. I’m having to keep my windows closed.” Hundreds of homes are due to be built on farmland off nearby Bankfield Lane and residents have repeatedly raised concerns about the Victorian-era sewage system being able to cope with any additional demand.
United Utilities programme manager Mark Walker said the water company wanted to improve the lives for many homeowners whose properties were at risk of flooding during periods of heavy rainfall.
He said: “It’s been a horrible problem for them and we want to sort it out.
“There is quite a lot of work to do.
“We need to lay new sections of sewer pipe and increase the capacity of the network by constructing a deep underground storage tank that can store storm water until the rain subsides, it is then released back out to the sewer and onto the sewage works for treatment.
“We will be working hard to keep people informed as our work progresses.
“Unfortunately there’s no way of doing engineering work of this scale without causing some temporary disruption.
“But we have a responsibility to the community to do everything possible to get the work done as safely and quickly as we can.” Southport MP Damien Moore said: “I am delighted to see that United Utilities has committed to upgrading the capacity of the sewer network in Churchtown over the next few months.
“This is a substantial project that will bring huge benefits to people living particularly on Verulam Road and Merlewood Avenue but also to others living in the Churchtown area whose lives are frequently adversely impacted by periods of heavy rainfall. I would like to thank the many local residents who have contacted me on this issue and hope that this action by United Utilities will greatly improve their quality of life.”
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WITH the country in its third lockdown, Revitalise in Southport wants to ensure that the struggles facing disabled people and their carers during the pandemic are not forgotten.
And thanks to a little help from a team of celebrity readers, a new video highlights the trials and tribulations of lockdown as seen through their eyes.
The video features intimate, revealing and personal stories or poems, submitted for a competition called Revitalise 500, describing in under 500 words the highs and lows of lockdown with both the humour and the tears.
The winners of the competition were selected by a team of celebrity judges and supporters, including comedian Alexei Sayle, BBC Radio 2 DJ Mark Radcliffe, Paralympic Gold medalist David Smith MBE, actor Peter Polycarpou and actress Carol Royle, with excerpts of the top 10 entries featuring in the video.
Revitalise launched the competition as part of its #CareforCarers campaign, aiming to raise £1 million to support carers and their loved ones to access respite care breaks following lockdown.
To read the entries in full, please go to: https://revitalise.org.uk/ blog/ or to show your support for the Revitalise #CareForCarers campaign and help Raise a Million to subsidise care breaks, please go to: revitalise.org.uk/donate