Torrential downpour leaves the North East in turmoil

Although many people in the UK have long-accepted that summer is over for another year, residents in the North East have been left in absolutely no doubt after flash floods swept the region in mid-September. Severe weather warnings have been issued across the region, but also further afield including Barnstaple, Devon and other parts of the country.

Motorists in Teesside were forced to abandon their vehicles on submerged roads, prompting the Met Office to urge locals to take “urgent action” and avoid being caught out. The A66 was subsequently closed in both directions between Middlesbrough and Redcar causing major disruption to those travelling home or to work. Many were forced to wade through knee-high water to get to their intended destinations.

This cut off access to Teesside Port, leading to chaos among the numerous wagons trying to make their way to and from the site. Eventually, Teesport Ltd opted to purchase two GP150 skid mounted pumps from us in order to alleviate what had become a regular problem.

The client had hired a series of units from Sykes Pumps when emergencies had arisen previously, but the regular requirement for emergency action meant it would be advantageous for them to buy equipment outright. They have even rented air conditioning and heating products from us on past assignments, underlining the level of reliability we have demonstrated on these testing occasions.

In this particular instance, our two pumps were mounted on the back of trucks and immediately began removing water from the concave road surface. The inward curve combined with poor drainage had led to rain gathering below a railway bridge and thus preventing cars from passing underneath.

The GP150M units mentioned above are available for hire and sale from all depots across our nationwide network. Call us today on 0800 211 611 for more information on how they can benefit your particular project, or alternatively click here for a full summary and list of specifications.