A MULTI-MILLION pound scheme to reduce the risk of flooding to 170 homes in Basingstoke has finished.

Hampshire County Council announced that the work it has been carrying out in Buckskin after the area was flooded in 2013/14 is now complete, seven years later. 

The council committed £6.4m to carry out works in the area to reduce the risk of flooding, after dozens of families had to evacuate their homes when groundwater contaminated with raw sewage flooded into their properties.

Deputy leader of Hampshire County Council and executive member for economy, transport and environment, Councillor Rob Humby said: “Buckskin was hit hard by groundwater flooding during the winter for 2014 and since then, a great deal of work has been done by partner organisations, and the local flood action group in the community, to put in measures to reduce the risk of this happening again.

“There have been operational challenges due to Covid-19 that have made this work more complicated during the construction phase, but we were determined to complete the drainage and road surfacing by the end of January, and I am pleased we have met this deadline.”

The scheme was done in two phases, with phase one including improvements to ditches and upgrades to culverts along Churchill Way West and Worting Road, and work to improve the drainage of floodwater between Buckskin and the start of the River Loddon.

Phase two included works to the subway near McDonalds and new draining to collect and connect rising groundwater from between houses in the Buckskin area to a new surface water gravity pipe.

Cllr Humby added: “I’d like to thank the local community for their support, and our partners who have collaborated with us on this much-needed scheme.”

Executive member for commercial strategy, human resources and performance and county councillor for Basingstoke South West, Councillor Stephen Reid, said: “I am really pleased to be able to report to the local community that this scheme to reduce the impact of flooding is now operational; it’s been a huge joint effort by all involved and will make a big difference to the whole community in Buckskin.

“Although there are some remaining elements to complete, including tidying up and removal of compounds, the scheme is now fully functioning.”

HCC contributed £2.05m to the scheme, with £1.29m awarded by the government’s Flood Defence Grant in Aid, £2/65m from the Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee Local Levy, and £250,000 from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

Thames Water Utility contributed indirectly by undertaking complementary works to its sewer assets.