Prepare your property
- Important items and documents upstairs or at height
- Separate electrical circuit for upper and lower floors
- Boiler moved to upper floor of wall-mounted on ground floor
Bentley, Doncaster
2021
£14 million. With £1.5 million from the Coal Authority.
The access causeway – Credit: Hopgrove Productions on behalf of EA
Established in the late 1800s, the Bentley Flood Corridor stores excess water in Bentley Ings. When river levels rise, water overflows into the corridor. From there, it flows under the railway and into Bentley Ings until levels recede and gravity carries it back into the River Don.
Built in the early 1940s, Bentley Ings Pumping Station manages surface water that results from coal mining subsidence. It is a key flood defence, working alongside other assets in the flood corridor to protect over 3,000 local properties from flooding.
The Pumping Station receives water from Bentley Mill Stream (also known as Mill Dike), Swaithe Dike and Bentley Ings Drain. It serves to drain the northern part of Bentley and redirect water into the River Don. This process is constant, as subsidence means that these watercourses are unable to drain naturally into the river. Without it, homes and businesses in Bentley Town End could experience flooding several times a year, even when river levels are normal.
The Environment Agency acquired the station in the early 2000s.
Flooding in 2007 submerged the station’s pumps and electrical controls. It led to the station losing mains power. Around 600 properties flooded as a result. Engineers were unable to access the site for several days.
The original pumping station – Credit: Environment Agency
The flooding in 2007 triggered a project to replace or redesign the pumping station. The aim was to improve its resilience to flooding from the flood corridor.
Refurbishment was around £8 million more cost-effective than building a new station. It also saved a significant amount of carbon emissions by reusing the 1940s concrete structures.
The refurbishment installed four modern, efficient pumps. It made electrical controls higher. They now remain above the water level in the rare event of a severe flood, reducing the risk of damage or malfunction. The scheme also built a new high causeway with integrated 1.5-metre-high culverts. Water can now flow through the flood corridor unimpeded, while vehicles and people are able to access the station during an incident.
The site is now significantly more flood resilient. During flood events it remains accessible, with its pumps able to continue operating.
The project won the Asset Management Excellence Award at the Flood and Coast Excellence Awards in 2022. It was also shortlisted for the Upgrade and Renewal Project of the Year and Climate Resilience Project of the Year at the British Construction Industry Awards in 2021.
The refurbished pumping station – Credit: JBA Bentley
Pumping capacity increased by 20% through four modern pumps.
Greater resilience, with a pump on standby should another fail.
Carbon footprint reduced by 20% through more efficient pumps.
Improved access to vehicles and people during a flood incident.
Fish able to pass in and out of the pumping station undamaged thanks to fish-friendly dry weather flow pump design.
Enhancements to local biodiversity through installation of hedgerows, grasslands and trees.