Work begins to replace Yarm's floodgates

One of the new floodgates in Yarm

A project is under way to replace and upgrade floodgates in Yarm.

The new gates will offer better protection from flooding and will be safer to use, the Environment Agency said.

There are 32 floodgates in the town and 1.3km (0.8 miles) of flood wall, which helps to protect more than 500 homes and businesses. 

Temporary defences will be used while the work is being carried out.

The floodgates will be safer to use than existing ones, the Environment Agency said

The first to be upgraded will be the large public access gates, with work due being to replace private garden gates from the summer.

Jack Hugill, from the flood and coastal risk management team, said the priority has been "to secure the best possible flood protection" for Yarm.

"The existing wide single leaf swinging floodgates can be dangerous to operate in windy conditions or on uneven ground, putting our staff at risk of injury," he said.

"Consequently, we have had agreement from landowners to make some floodgate openings smaller, and to change some floodgates to a sliding mechanism to make them safer to operate."

The Environment Agency will continue to engage with the community about the timing of future phases of works, and apologised for any inconvenience.

It advised people they can still access True Lovers Walk public right of way but Yarm Wharf car park will be impacted at times.