Dam good work

Tarmac leapt into action to help victims of flooding in Gloucester.

When Gloucestershire County Council’s highways department was left without running water National Contracting – South West came to the rescue by supplying bottled water and portable toilets. The team also provided gully suckers – road sweepers that suck up debris from the gullies.

GRATEFUL

Contracts manager Andy Jones said: “They were very grateful as we helped get their infrastructure back up and running quickly.”

Stowfield quarry also helped by supplying stone to build a dam around an electricity substation.

Transport manager Gordon Lambert, from Kington regional office, said: “As a retained watch manager with Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service based at Coleford fire station I was already involved with the Gloucester flooding. I was surprised when I received a call to ask if Tarmac could supply stone to help protect Walham substation.”

Tarmac sent in around 3,000 tonnes of stone from 26 July to 28 July.

BARRIER

The stone was used to fill Hessian-lined wire gabion baskets, which were then placed two metres high and one kilometre long around the substation to act as a barrier to the flood water.

The substation not only supplies more than 50,000 homes in Gloucestershire but also Government Communications Headquarters in Cheltenham.

David Bargh, Stowfield quarry unit manager, said: “We won’t know until the water rises again whether it has been successful, but if they work, they can be in place for three years before they need replacing. It will give the National Grid time to make arrangements for a more permanent structure to be installed.”

SOS CALL

In the meantime, Trupak sales representative Martin Schofield received an SOS call from Midland Building Supplies. They needed to supply contractor Interserve 780 bulk bags of MoT Type 1 (a sub-base used to provide structural support) to prevent floods reaching the water purification plant at Mythe in Tewkesbury.

PROMPT ACTION

Martin said: “The product was required the next day to hold back the expected flood surge, which would effectively close down the plant and cause further lack of drinking water in Gloucestershire.

“The Nuneaton team pulled out all the stops to produce the material. Interserve was delighted with the efficient way that we reacted. The prompt action saved the plant from flooding and drinking supplies were maintained.”