Grateful mayor officially thanks Lanes flood crisis team

Lanes Utilities drainage engineers have been presented with certificates of thanks from a towns mayor for playing a key role in alleviating a flood that engulfed a housing estate.

Buckskin-Certification-Drains

Councillor Dan Putty, the mayor of Basingstoke and Dean Borough Council, in Hampshire, made the gesture after the Lanes team was involved in a multi-agency emergency response to the floods.

Field Manager Mark Adamson and drainage engineers Colin Agnew and Andrew Gildersleeve were recognised for their dedicated work, over six weeks, to deal with the crisis and its aftermath.

Mark said: “It was a very tough and emotional situation for the residents and we were very eager to do all we could to help. The team was very pleased, and grateful, that the mayor thought to officially thank us for our work.”

The flood inundated the Buckskin area of Basingstoke in February. It was triggered by rising groundwater, following a long period of torrential rain, and was one of many floods that devastated the south and west of England. Eventually, around 180 homes in Buckskin were affected, forcing more than 80 to be evacuated.

After the water became contaminated with sewage, Thames Water called in Lanes, its wastewater network contractors, to join the multi-agency response team, which included the borough council and the Environment Agency.

The crisis was Mark’s first big test as a field manager, after he was promoted in December.

He said: “It’s no joke to say it was very much in at the deep end. The water covered an area about 400 metres wide and up to four feet deep.”

Mark and Thames Water field operations specialist Bob Cunningham devised a step-by-step plan to channel the water through the stormwater sewer system.

Mark explained: “We opened up manholes at the lowest point and the water started flowing away. Over the next three days, we opened other manholes in stages and reduced water levels by about two feet.

“This opened up a road to allow traffic to get through the estate. The borough council supplied sand bags that we used to channel water to manholes which we knew would clear the water the quickest.”

As the flood area reduced in size, the second phase, the clean-up, could begin.

Mark said: “Colin Agnew and Andrew Gildersleeve spent around six weeks cleaning sludge built up by the flood from the area. There was some sewage contamination and a build-up of green algae.”

The team took a 10-ton mini jet vac tanker into every corner of the estate, using water mixed with disinfectant to jet clean paths and open spaces. Sewers were also inspected and jetted to make sure they remained clear, allowing water to drain quickly.

By the end of April only a small area of standing water was left away from homes, its reduction managed by the borough council and the Environment Agency.

Conrad Ashby, Lanes Utilities Framework Director, said: “Mark, Colin and Andrew did a fantastic job of responding quickly, with skill and determination to support other agencies, and help local people who were in a very difficult situation.

“The mayor’s gesture showed they played a key role in an effective multi-agency response, which is now allowing residents who were moved out to start to return to their homes.”

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