WORK on a new surface water drainage system to reduce flooding in a village have been carried out.

Durham County Council, the Environment Agency and Northumbrian Water have now completed the project in Lanchester.

Additional drainage, which has been designed to capture excess surface water and discharge into a culvert, has been installed on Front Street and Newbiggin Lane.

Hydraulic modelling revealed that there was capacity for water within the Alderdene culvert, on Front Street, but the previous drains were struggling to cope with the volume of water coming down Newbiggin Lane during heavy rain.

Repairs to sections of the culvert roof have been carried out and the existing drainage system has been improved. Additional drainage consisting of large grated channels, which are half a metre wide and deep, have been installed on Front Street and Newbiggin Lane.

Councillor Brian Stephens, the council’s cabinet member for neighbourhoods and local partnerships, said: “We understand that the flooding in Lanchester village has had a significant impact on the businesses, properties and the community.”