Desilting work on Main Drain between Upwell and Wiggenhall St Germans to start in October

Desilting works on the Main Drain are set to get under way in October - lasting for around nine months.

Middle Level Commissioners are preparing to carry out the work in the river between Cottons Corner Bridge in Upwell and St Germans Pumping Station.

This work will return the Main Drain to its operational capacity, with the project funded by the Environment Agency through Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Grant in Aid funding from Defra.

Infrastructure company Balfour Beatty is in the process of appointing a sub-contractor to carry out the first phase of the desilting works.

They will be carried out from the water using excavators situated on pontoons. The materials collected will be taken from the water and placed on the adjacent bank and left to dry.

The drying process takes approximately 12 months, depending on the weather. Once dry, the material will be reworked into the bank and the bank reinstated to its original condition.

In September, Middle Level Commissioners will be establishing a site compound, close to the works area, and installing four temporary crane pads along the Main Drain where equipment can be lifted in and out of the water.

Between now and September, people may see members of the project team along the bank carrying out surveys and ground investigation works.

The Main Drain and immediately adjacent land are privately owned by the Middle Level Commissioners. Much of this land does not have any public rights of way.

Bosses aim to maintain access for third parties where agreements are in place, but in order to ensure the safety of the public and contractors, some sections of bank may be closed during the works.

The commissioners say they are looking to to engage with residents about the work they do.

During April and May, they hosted two public drop-in events in March and Ramsey Forty Foot which provided stakeholders the opportunity to meet the team and ask questions about the work they do.

Chief engineer Nicola Oldfield recently attended the March History Society as a guest speaker, providing an insight into the history of Middle Level Commissioners.