Clay Cleared In Flood Defence

Who can forget the images of the town under water at the beginning of the year from Storm Henk including swathes of a central park?

With a record 12 major floods recorded in Soar Valley alone since September 2023 flood defence and preparation have become increasingly critical.

Now a regeneration drainage programme is underway by Charnwood Borough Council and its outdoor contractor id Verde, funded in part by the town deal to prevent frequent flooding in Loughborough’s Queen’s Park. likely to worsen from global warming.

A thick layer of clay retains water preventing it running off causing persistent water – logging of the grass areas with high footfall.

The workmen are ahead of schedule to lay pipes to divert water from flood – prone areas of the popular public space.

Charnwood Borough Council green space development officer Jeremy Trill said this year’s flooding reached the steep crowns of the paths.

“I can also remember one summer standing in this area a few years back and it was flooded and my colleagues tell me it’s getting worse,” said Mr Trill.

“They’ve cleared the area of a lot of clay and installed pipes and gravel trenches to increase the capacity of the area to hold water,” he said.

He said it should now gradually filter away into the subsoil.

“It’s localised; this area by the Carillon, the band stand and Woodbrook stream is the first phase then it’s hoped to continue with the second phase by Granby Street and then where a lot hangs around by the Swan Maze within the allotted period if there’s enough funding,” said Mt Trill.

He said what’s clear as they’ve been working is they’ve found previous attempts to clear the channels under the area’s paths probably in the park’s inception around a century ago and one other time since.

“The park’s under a lot of pressure from increasing footfall, and we want to increase it and maintain it so it’s not out of use, particularly in the summer so we can use our grass areas for longer periods, it’s a shame if the areas are out of use.”

“It’s a constant process of replacement and regeneration. Every foot wears the ground away, every storm causes damage and it’s a question of keeping of keeping on top of it,” he added.

Originally planned for earlier in the year, the wet weather delayed the start of the work now hoped to be finished before the predicted end – date of early June.

Id Verde workman Reece said: “We’ve cleared blockages in the channels, added trenches of gravel and expect to finish before schedule.”