Work to reduce the risk of flooding in a County Durham village is set to begin, thanks to an innovative partnership.
The work in South Moor, Stanley, will be carried out by Northumbrian Water, in partnership with Durham County Council and the Environment Agency (EA), as part of the Northumbria Integrated Drainage Partnership (NIDP).
The NIDP sees organisations working together to identify and deliver ways of reducing flood risk for communities, going beyond what they would be able to do if working alone.
£3.8m is being invested in the work in the Park Road area of South Moor, installing more than 1,800 metres of new surface water sewers. Currently the area has a combined sewer system, which takes both sewage from homes and businesses, as well as surface water – or rainwater – and the new pipework will allow that to be separated, reducing the chances of heavy rainfall overloading the system.
As well as reducing the risk of flooding, the work will contribute to the risk of storm overflow discharges in the area.
Northumbrian Water is currently in the planning stages of a second project in the South Moor area, which will specifically target storm overflow spill reductions, and this is expected to begin in 2026.
The NIDP project, which will be delivered by Esh-Stantec, is set to start on Tuesday, August 26th, and take up to 18 months to complete. Work will take place on Park Road, Hustledown Road, and on side streets to the east and west of Park Road.
Customers in the area have been written to, and will be kept up to date, as the project progresses, keeping them informed of what to expect as the work moves around the area. This will include the temporary closure of some side roads, to ensure work can take place safely. While working on Park Road, there will be no road closure, but traffic lights will be required at times, again, to ensure the safety of the team working on the project, as well as motorists.
David Groark, Northumbrian Water’s Project Manager, said: “The Northumbria Integrated Drainage Partnership is a unique initiative that really allows us to deliver more than we could alone. Working with local authorities and the Environment Agency, we can make investments that cross the boundaries of our traditional responsibilities, making a bigger impact for communities.
“This work in South Moor, with Durham County Council and the Environment Agency, means we can tackle flood risk by taking the ebbs and flows of surface water, caused by increasingly heavy rainfall events, and put it into new pipes. By removing it from the existing pipework, which also carries sewage from homes and businesses, we can reduce both flood risk and the frequency of storm overflow spills, which is a double win.”
Cllr Tim McGuinness, Durham County Council’s Cabinet Member for Rural Communities and Highways, said: “We understand that reducing the risk of flooding is a key priority for residents in the South Moor area of Stanley and we are pleased to be working alongside our partners at Northumbrian Water and the Environment Agency to address this.
“It’s vital that we continue working together for the benefit of our communities. Reducing the risk of flooding will help to make residents and business owners feel safer and improve accessibility through the village during periods of heavy rainfall, while also delivering environmental benefits to the area.”
People can follow progress on the project at
communityhub.nwl.co.uk/en-GB/projects/south-stanley-craghead.