Work starts on rain gardens to manage flooding

Works to install rain gardens in Immingham will see grass verges replaced by flower beds and drainage channels

A six-month construction project to create rain gardens which remove surface water from roads is underway in Immingham.

North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC) said the drainage features will be installed on Washdyke Lane and Woodlands Avenue.

The project will see grass verges replaced by flower beds containing channels to catch rainfall and slowly drain it back into the sewer network.

It has been funded by Defra as part of its £200m Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes which is managed by the Environment Agency.

A similar scheme was completed in Grimsby in July 2024

Works will be carried out during the day, Monday to Friday, with no overnight or weekend works planned.

Three-way traffic lights will be in place near junctions but there should be no need for any road closures, NELC said.

Andy Smith, drainage and coastal defence team manager at NELC, said: "Managing rainwater run-off with rain gardens is a low maintenance and wildlife-friendly sustainable approach.

"The rain gardens will allow us to manage rainwater run-off from the highway in a more natural way and reduce flood risk."

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