June 26, 2023 Fabweld boost village flood defences

Challenge: Help keep a storm ditch debris-free and free-flowing in a village prone to flooding to protect nearby properties during times of heavy rainfall.

Solution: A custom-made trash screen was designed and fabricated by FSP for a private property in Carlton, Bedfordshire. It was installed in a storm ditch running around the house’s perimeter to ensure debris and litter would be diverted away from the pipe inlet to keep it clear and free-flowing.

During 2020, a wet winter followed by heavy rainfall in December culminated in a major flood event over Christmas in the village of Carlton, near Bedford. It overwhelmed local flood defences and many residents were affected.  

One of the properties was owned by the elderly mother-in-law of Trevor Plummer, a retired senior level chartered construction manager. The house has a storm ditch with a 400mm pipe running around the property, but debris was collecting in the pipe which was interfering with the water flow.  

In the aftermath of the severe flooding, measures to alleviate issues locally were considered, including using a 45-degree trash screen for the pipe in the storm ditch to replace the vertical one fitted to ensure large debris could be pushed over the top of the pipework during periods of heavy rainfall. 

Drawing on his 40 years of experience in constriction, Trevor led on the project. He said: “I sent photos of the pipework and a rough outline of what I wanted to do – constructing a concrete headwall and fitting the trash screen to it – to Fabweld and they came back with some recommendations and then a final CAD design which I was able to submit to the council for water course land drainage approval.  

“Once it was approved by the council, Fabweld manufactured the trash screen for me and delivered it to site. It was a good quality product and exactly as we had agreed. We are confident it will significantly reduce the risk of localised flooding should there be sustained periods of heavy rainfall again.” 

Wayne Carter, Managing Director at Fabweld Steel Products said: “When Trevor approached us about his requirements, we were able to channel our water industry experience into creating a product for him which was exactly right for the job and which also met the latest industry guidelines.  

“We use the same 3D design and rendering software for our biggest clients and our one-off orders to ensure that every bespoke product we make is of the high quality and standard that our customers expect from us.”