A new £3 million flood alleviation scheme has been opened in Stockton-on-Tees.

The Lustrum Beck development aims to protect over 150 homes from the river.

Features included replacing Londonderry Bridge, as well as building new flood walls along the beck at Bedford Street and Duddon Walk.

In addition, a new lifting screen has been installed at the culvert at Primrose Hill, while a new flood wall has been built along Bishopton Road.

Environment Agency Area Director Oliver Harmar said: "This is a fantastic project with some unique features which has increased flood protection to over 150 properties.

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"We've worked closely with Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council throughout which has enabled us to provide Stockton with an excellent scheme with a high level of protection.

"And we're not finished yet. The next phase involves looking at storing flood water further upstream at Coatham Woods, as well as creating new habitat.

"This makes Lustrum Beck a great project which will see us combine traditional engineering solutions with natural flood management."

Cllr Mike Smith added: "The replacement of Londonderry Bridge was an essential part of the broader scheme to help reduce the flood risk to homes.

"The old bridge was a major contributor to serious flooding because its arches obstructed the beck's flow. Replacing it with a new, single span bridge has reduced the risk of the kind of devastating flooding we've seen in recent years."

The Lustrum Beck flood scheme has won a number of awards, including the Sustainability award at Constructing Excellence North East 2017, it scooped the top award for Partnership Project of the Year at the Flood and Coast Project Excellence Awards, and was highly commended at the Robert Stephenson Awards run by the Institution of Civil Engineers.

(LM)