Construction of a FAS to provide a 1 in 100-year standard of protection against flooding in Ulverston Town Centre from Town Beck. The Works consist of construction of new reinforced concrete linear defences, refurbishment of culverts and the design and construction of a new flood storage area including some wetland creation.

The list of potential hazards and risk identified for this phase of works was extensive as highlighted in the construction drawings at tender stage, and included vehicle interface / overhead service strike / fluvial flood risk / instability of existing structure / collapse, crushing and death /damage and loss of habitat, to name just a few.

The main issue for our company, and the installation of the sprayed concrete lining to the culvert, was the potential for flooding (that is why it was a flood alleviation scheme in the first place) and this did in fact occur on several occasions during the course of the works, despite the huge pumping and watercourse fluming operation put in place by the main contractor.

The traditional random coursed stonework which formed the original side walls had lost integrity, and were under threat of total collapse due to the high levels of fast moving flood water passing through the narrow channel during periods of heavy rain.

Following the installation of a double layer of heavy steel reinforcement to both the invert and culvert sides, both structural shotcrete and dry spray gunite were applied in the construction of the new water course to create a robust solution to the flooding issues occurring at this particular location within the existing culvert and offer an aesthetically please façade that would also benefit the wildlife and fauna living in the watercourse, as per the original Environment Agency directives