A DRAIN clearing business has created 12 jobs and invested £800,000 in new equipment to combat increased flooding in North-East sewers.

HCS Drain Services has bought new CCTV to monitor drains and sewers.

The firm, which is an arm of civil engineering company Owen Pugh, carries out work for local authorities including Middlesbrough Council, Durham County Council and South Tyneside Council, and last year cleared more than 100,000 blocked drains.

The Stockton-based company, which employs 36 workers, will use the CCTV to carry out surveys on blockages and roots infestation in sewers before using water jets to take silt from affected areas.

Dale Watson, HCS Drain Services director, said: “Our specialist drain investigation services have seen increased demand over the past eight months since the first instance of severe flooding hit last June.

“We’ve taken on new members of staff and have now added to our fleet of specialist vehicles to cope with the demand, and are pleased to help local councils and take the pressure off their resources.”

The announcement comes after the Owen Pugh Group, which employs about 370 people, last week revealed it had safeguarded 26 jobs in its aggregate section.

The firm, which owns Marsden Quarry, in Whitburn, near Sunderland, was given permission to recycle construction and demolition waste on the site, to make secondary construction aggregates.