The Environment Agency (EA) has launched a “comprehensive investigation” into a flood defense system that failed to protect homes from damage on October 20 during Storm Babet.
The £8.1m Horncastle flood relief scheme in Lincolnshire was completed in 2017 by VBA, a joint venture of VolkerStevin, Boskalis Westminster and Atkins (now AtkinsRéalis).
The EA said yesterday (October 26) that a sluice gate failed to operate automatically, meaning the flood plan was unable to store enough water when the storm hit. A “thorough investigation” has been launched as the wider flood response incident continues, he added.
EA area director Leigh Edlin said: “We are aware that the flood relief scheme did not reduce flood risk to the extent it was designed to. We will continue our investigation and we make sure we learn from their findings.”
The plan aimed to reduce the risk of the River Bain overflowing at 169 properties in Horncastle. Lincolnshire County Council confirmed that up to 80 properties were flooded last week.
An upstream flood storage tank was designed to hold 1.5 million cubic meters of water. The scheme also included a large lake and wetland, providing a habitat for water voles.
Elsewhere in Lincolnshire, a sister scheme in Louth, also built by VBA, operated as planned during the storm. The two water storage projects opened 10 years after flooding affected 200 properties in the area.
Lincolnshire councilor Colin Davie said: “The plan did not work as designed and ultimately this affected the extent of flooding in the town and the number of properties affected.
“I hope that the EA’s report will leave no stone unturned to investigate the circumstances of last week’s flooding, to prevent this from happening again and save residents and businesses from further pain.”
VolkerStevin, Boskalis Westminster and AtkinsRéalis were contacted for comment.
