Six of the 21 pumping stations that drain the low-lying Somerset Levels and Moors are getting new pumps. The Environment Agency is spending £11 million on the programme, which it says will make local communities better able to withstand flooding.
Two sites done, four to go
According to the agency, work at Midelney and Huish Episcopi has been completed. Northmoor and Westover follow in 2027, with Long Load and North Drain due in 2028. Galliford Try is the construction partner.
Ageing equipment
Every station in the area already runs on electric pumps, the agency said, but many were installed in the 1960s and 1970s and are close to retirement. It says the replacements are more dependable and energy efficient, require less upkeep and have less impact on fish and eels. The agency calls this the first phase of a longer-term plan to modernise pumping and help the landscape cope with a changing climate.
Why the stations matter
The agency describes the area as one of the lowest-lying parts of the UK, with 18% of Somerset below average tide level and more than 60,000 hectares of very flat land. It says 60,000 people live, work or commute through it. In winter, the stations lift floodwater off fields into rivers and drains heading for the sea, which the agency says reduces how deep floods get and how long they last. In summer they irrigate farmland and habitats.
Reaction
Ian Withers, the agency's area director for Wessex, said he had witnessed at first hand what flooding does to communities and called the upgrade exactly what was required for resilience over the long term.
Sarah Dyke, MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, called the spending "excellent news for communities across the Somerset Levels and Moors" and said the new pumps should leave residents and businesses more confident of their protection.
Ahead of winter, the agency is urging people to check whether they are at risk, prepare a flood plan and register for warnings, and is pointing them to its Flood Action Online service.
