Kevan Jones, Member of Parliament for North Durham, has joined County Councillors Katherine Henig and Keith Davidson, who represent Chester-le-Street South, in welcoming Environment Agency funding for flood prevention works on Fellside Meadows.
Durham County Council was successful with its bid for £88,000 to construct a flood wall between the housing estate and the fields at Waldridge. The work, which will hopefully begin in March, is in addition to work that has already been carried out by the authority to alleviate the problems faced by residents.
Mr. Jones said, “I am very pleased that the Council’s bid has been successful. Having previously met with residents, I know this issue has been causing many of them a good deal of concern. Both local Councillors and Officers deserve credit for ensuring the success of this bid, and hopefully the work proposed will give residents some peace of mind.”
Councillors Henig and Davidson added, “This scheme will deal with water flowing from the fields in to the houses, which was a key factor in the floods on Thunder Thursday. The residents have fought a strong campaign, and as the local councillors we are delighted that the project has now got the funding to go ahead.”
The funding for the work at Waldridge is part of a wider package of £4 million which will be used on flood prevention work around the county.