Flood alleviation works are due to commence on North Road in Holme from August 9.

The works, scheduled to take approximately nine weeks to complete, include installation of a new drainage system and traffic management measures, including phased road closures on Milnthorpe Road and North Road, will be in place throughout the project.

Cumbria County Council hopes the new drainage infrastructure will better protect the community by significantly reducing the risk of flooding, which has affected local properties and the highway in recent years, most recently in November 2017.

The £520,000 project will be delivered by the council with funding from the Department for Transport and the Environment Agency, and will be carried out by local contractor, Eric Wright Civil Engineering.

The project will comprise the installation of new drainage pipe work, and associated inspection chambers and gullies, from the Hillside junction on North Road, to and across Milnthorpe Road, before discharging into the beck at Trinity Church.

The project is part of a wider programme of works across Cumbria to help better protect local communities, properties and businesses from flooding issues.

Local member, Cllr Roger Bingham, who has represented Holme since 1984, said: “I am very pleased that the council has allocated funding for flood protection works in North Road – this will have a huge benefit for local residents, many of whom have suffered during previous flooding events. 

“Holme, whose name derives from the Viking, meaning ‘a wet place,’ has suffered in recent years from an increase in paved areas causing quick run-off after lengthy periods of rainfall, and this project will help to carry that water away.”

Cllr Keith Little, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “The project at Holme is part of a much larger six-year programme of flood defence studies and works across the county.

“The project delivers benefits to residents by providing a higher level of protection from flooding, and also makes the highway more resilient to future flood events.

“The project will take time to deliver and involves road closures during the summer and autumn, and we thank the community for their support and patience as we deliver this vital scheme.”