Warrington Borough Council, alongside the Environment Agency and United Utilities, has finished a £946,000 drainage and pump station project in the Sankey Bridges area, shielding 62 homes and businesses from flooding that has plagued the neighbourhood since the 1960s. The work, designed and managed by the council’s in-house engineering team, was completed on schedule this week, as detailed on the council’s website.
The scheme brings a new drainage system along Liverpool Road and Hood Lane, an automated pumping station, a dedicated power supply, and a backup overflow connection to the United Utilities network. Funding came from two pots: £546,000 through the Environment Agency’s Flood Defence Grant in Aid and £400,000 from United Utilities’ Sustainable Water Fund. Council Leader Cllr Hans Mundry said, “Combined with the road resurfacing, this project represents a massive improvement for the local community.” The highway and footway between Marina Drive and Hood Lane have also been resurfaced as part of the works.
The low‑lying spot where Liverpool Road meets Hood Lane has long been a flood hotspot. Water drains in from surrounding land, overwhelming the old drainage. Major incidents hit in 2007, 2018, and during Storm Christoph in January 2021, prompting the council to act. Contractor Tarmac Trading Ltd delivered the construction, which began after plans were announced in September 2025. While this project offers immediate protection, the Environment Agency is still designing the wider Sankey Brook Flood Risk Management Scheme, which covers three brook catchments and is scheduled for completion in 2033, though it faces funding delays.
The new pump station also sends water into the Sankey Canal, preserving a vital biodiversity corridor. For nearly 40 years, water levels in the Warrington section were maintained by treated Mersey water pumped from Fiddlers Ferry Power Station, but that supply ceased when the station closed in March 2020. Since then, water levels have dropped, and the council is working with Halton Borough Council and the Sankey Canal Restoration Society to find long‑term solutions for the canal’s ecology.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
