Pumping station move aims to prevent flooding

A FAULTY pumping station blamed for causing widespread flooding has been adopted by a council in a move which is aimed at preventing problems in the future.

Two pumps at Horbury Bridge in Wakefield have been without a manager for three years since the company previously responsible for maintaining it, Carrillion, collapsed.

The station was later found to have failed and contributed to the unprecedented flooding seen around the Reid Park beck in Horbury early last year.

Wakefield Council repaired the station and has now adopted it permanently.

The local authority said it hopes having the system functioning will reduce the risk of homes being washed out in future.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting where the move was agreed, Horbury and South Ossett councillor Darren Byford said residents were still affected by last year’s extreme weather.

He said: “This shows that the council is listening to people. People living in the Reid Park area told us there was an issue down there.

“This has had a devastating effect on people there. Some of the residents, who have become very good friends of mine over the last 12 months, are still living the trauma of those floods that happened during the storms.”

The station was originally built in the early 1990s as part of a new housing development in the area. The pumps were designed to deal with surface water on the estate and to divert water from the beck into the River Calder when the beck was at risk of overflowing.

Housing developer Hassall Homes was responsible for the system before passing it onto Carillion in 2016.