Balfour Beatty is continuing work on a £63 million flood alleviation scheme in Lancashire.

The contractor is delivering the Rossall and Anchorsholme sea defence project, which will protect thousands of properties at risk of flooding across a 2.9km coastline.

The first four-year phase of the scheme saw Balfour Beatty build a new seawall using 280,000 tonnes of rock and 2,762 precast concrete units.

Work is now underway to create an ecology park on a 1.5km strip of land to be known as Larkholme Grasslands.

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The site, which is already classed as a Biological Heritage site, allow residents to enjoy the rich and diverse wildlife found in the area.

The first stage of works will focus on earthworks to raise the level of the ground with turfing, seeding and re-planting of rarer plant species following shortly after.

Overall, the entire project is scheduled to be completed this winter, with additional landscaping works at Rossall set for completion in Summer 2018.

Mark Farrah, Balfour Beatty's North & Midlands Regional Business Director, said: "This work marks the beginning of the end of construction for the Rossall sea defences. Once complete, together with the Anchorsholme coastal project, it will be the largest coastal protection scheme in the UK helping to protect 12,500 residents from the risk of flooding across a coastline that spans over 2.9 kilometres."

(LM/MH)