Faulty pipes spark flood misery in Devon town

South West Water is working with partners to help stop localised flooding issues in Kingsbridge.

The town has seen an increase in the number of flooding at times of high tides and heavy rainfall over the last few months due to defects with pipework in the Quay area of the town which is not owned or managed by South West Water.

These affected pipes, known as culverts, are designed to allow river water to flow under roads and the car park at the Quay to enter the estuary and go out to sea.

During periods of high tides and heavy rainfall, which increases river flows, the estuary backs up into these pipes and stops the flows from passing through.

With nowhere to go, the water, mostly made up of seawater, then backs up and floods across parts of the town, entering and overwhelming South West Water’s sewers.

In order to help local partners with the issues, South West Water has carried out extensive investigations to pinpoint which of the town’s pipes are blocked or damaged so partners can make a long-term solution to prevent this from happening.

Councillor Julia Wingate, chairman of Kingsbridge Town Council, said: “Kingsbridge Town Council is really grateful for the efforts that South West Water is making to help reduce the town’s risk of flooding.

“We know that progress is being made alongside Devon County Council, the Environment Agency and South Hams District Council to work up potential options to deliver flood alleviation projects for the town. We look forward to receiving their collective findings along with indications of intent to deliver early action to avoid a worsening of the situation facing the town.”

To assist the council and help reduce the impact to local residents while a long-term solution is found, South West Water has invested around £500,000 this year to put tankers into action to remove some additional flows from the area.

Lee Maclean, South West Water’s network asset manager in Kingsbridge, said: “Although the recent issues with our network in Kingsbridge have been caused by pipework we don’t own or manage, we know the impact this has had on the residents of Kingsbridge, and that’s why we want to help provide a solution using our teams of experts.

“We are offering support to the council to stop this from happening and we will continue to put solutions in place to limit flooding when the local network is overwhelmed.”