A Hydro-Brake® Flood controls flows along Weedon Bec preventing flooding of the villages around Weedon, Northampton, UK.

Problem

The pretty Northampton villages around Weedon, in the upper River Nene valley, suffered disastrous flooding in 1998, with Weedon Bec being particularly affected.

Solution

To alleviate this problem, the Environment Agency (EA) has put into place a dam project to contain floodwater in the catchment area, of which the key component is a 6.5 ton, 2 m (6.5 ft) diameter Hydro-Brake® Flood device located in the dam, supplied by Hydro International.

Outcome

Contractor Edmund Nuttall has created an embankment across the valley, using locally won blue clay as the embankment core topped with a granular hogging layer, with a centrally located concrete culvert to channel the water flow.

Environmental sensitivity of any flood control solution was a crucial part of the scheme and the EA has made an arrangement with local farmers to allow their fields to flood behind the dam during heavy rainfall to avoid damage downstream.