AN end is hopefully in sight to regular flooding that has blocked a busy road and been a blight on the lives of local residents.

Earlier this month Thurrock Nub News reported on the latest flooding on Wharf Road in Stanford-le-Hope which caused significant problems.

Today (Thursday, 29 July) Conservative Stanford-le-Hope West ward councillors have welcomed work that is now underway to upgrade the drainage and pump-house on Wharf Road at the entrance to Stanhope Industrial Park.

They say council officers have developed a scheme that should reduce flooding events, and that ward councillors appreciate and they welcome the work by the authority's highways team to introduce remote pump house maintenance and operation, and surface water drainage upgrades which will help capture high levels of surface water and gently put back into the environment.

Councillors Shane Hebb and Terry Piccolo said: "We have been raising the issue of the pump-house not coping during heavy rainfall for a number of years, after residents who live in The Warren, and businesses operating around the end of Wharf Road, get trapped behind high levels of water during heavy downpours on a number of occasions over the years.

"We understood that the engineering solution would not be easy to overcome. We are appreciative of officers in Highways at Thurrock Council, who have stuck with this issue, and have designed an upgrade to the pump-house and the drainage system which should help reduce the issues for residents and businesses; all who have had to put up with issues for a long time.

"We are pleased that a decades-old pump-house is being upgraded, new pumps are being fitted, and that remote diagnostics will be able to be completed when required. The drainage system should also capture high levels of water and reduce pressure on the highway".

"We thank the team at Thurrock Council, and Henderson and Taylors for the work being done.

"We know these works are going to cause some disruption to the local area over a few weekends and have worked with officers to try and reduce impacts as far as possible, with input from the local community being really valuable."