Plans for £10m upgrade of key pumping station in city

The water firm wants to increase capacity to keep up with new housing developments being built on Kingswood, one of the worst hit areas during the deluge.

Three years ago the company installed two giant pumps at the station, which failed at the height of the 2007 floods, to provide emergency back-up in extreme weather.

A spokeswoman said: “The £10m we’ve talked about investing at Bransholme is an estimate based on what we think it would cost to increase the pumping capacity. We haven’t undertaken any detailed design yet, but once we have we’ll have a much better idea of cost.

“We are in the early stages of investigation looking at how we can increase the pumping capacity at Bransholme to manage greater flows from new development in the area and to meet new statutory requirements.

“Various options are being investigated ranging from installing a new pumping station to fitting different types of pumps. We are also assessing how efficient each option is and how resilient they will be.”

The company says it will consult on the plans within the next 12 months. The spokeswoman added: “We know it’s imperative that we get things right which is why we’re taking the time to look at different options.”

A report drawn up by an independent review body following the floods, criticised the company for failing to heed warnings about the condition of the station in 1996 and 2001.