Lowdham: Work starts on new £26m flood protection scheme

A new £26m flood storage reservoir is being created to protect the village of Lowdham

Work is set to start on a new £26m scheme to protect a Nottinghamshire village that has flooded six times since 1999.

People in Lowdham had their homes and businesses flooded in 1999, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2019 and in 2020 when Cocker Beck, a tributary of the River Trent, burst its banks.

The Environment Agency is to start work on a new flood storage reservoir.

The work should be finished by spring 2026.

The reservoir will hold 100,000 cubic metres of water and the Environment Agency predicts it will provide nearly £50m worth of benefits to the village and the local economy by preventing future floods.

Flood water around a house in Lowdham after the River Trent burst its banks during Storm Dennis in February 2020

A groundbreaking ceremony is due to take place on Friday.

Paul Lockhart, area flood and coastal risk manager at the Environment Agency, said: "We are delighted that we are now in the position of being able to commence the construction of a major Flood Alleviation Scheme to protect the people of Lowdham.

"The reservoir we are building will provide a very high level of protection against flooding to 191 properties, and it represents excellent value for money for the taxpayer."