Water pump to solve tunnel flooding on cycle route

The disused railway line regularly floods due to "increasingly severe rainfall"

Works to resolve flooding on a well-travelled cycle route have begun this week.

Bath & North East Somerset Council is installing a pump at the entrance to the Devonshire Tunnel in Bath, which forms part of the Two Tunnels path.

The pump will divert flood water uphill to bypass the original Victorian cast iron pipework, which was once used to drain water away from the railway line.

The work is being carried out on behalf of the cycling charity Sustrans, who own and manage the route, and is expected to take eight weeks to complete.

The Two Tunnels route is a 13-mile (21km) loop which enables cyclists and walkers to continue their way on to Midford, Wellow, Radstock and beyond.

The cycle path follows the route of the former Somerset and Dorset Railway line, which opened in 1874 and closed as part of the Beeching cuts in 1966.

The Victorian pipework system is no longer capable of draining the floodwater

Councillor Paul Roper said: “The original Victorian drainage in the Devonshire Tunnel has not been able to withstand the increasingly severe rainfall we have experienced in recent years.

"These essential works to install a pump will future-proof the route and ensure that it can remain open throughout future weather events.

"This is an important route for both commuting and pleasure and we apologise for the inconvenience while the works are carried out, however this is a long-term fix that needs to be done.”

It is hoped that the tunnel will remain fully open until 3 November for the first part of the works.

However, from 4 November the tunnel will be closed while the works are safely completed.

Signage will be placed at both ends of the tunnel throughout the works to inform people about the closures and timescales.