The work to improve a pumping station will help protect 15,000 homes, plus habitat, businesses and infrastructure

An 80-year-old pumping station is to be given a new lease of life, bringing environmental and flood-risk benefits to an area almost twice the size of Birmingham, the Environment Agency has announced.

The work is part of a £35m investment to upgrade Keadby Pumping Station near Scunthorpe and construction is set to get underway from mid-April. Preparation work on the site is currently underway.

The improvements will see the facility’s diesel pumps replaced by more reliable and efficient electric versions. As well as reducing flood risk, the new pumps will also lessen the station’s carbon footprint and are designed to be safe for fish and eels.

Keadby Pumping Station is used to manage water levels across the Isle of Axholme – around a 500 kilometre square area of North Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire.

The facility helps reduce the risk of flooding by transferring flood water from the ‘Three Rivers’ into the River Trent during high tides.

The Pumping Station reduces flood risk to more than 15,000 homes, 30,000 hectares of high-grade agricultural land, businesses, internationally important habitats, and critical infrastructure such as transport links, a power station and Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

The current station has reached the end of its working life. The current pumps and equipment are unreliable, costly to maintain and are increasingly at risk of breaking down.

The scheme also includes the construction of new electrical equipment buildings within the existing site and rebuilding of the outfall headwall, where the ‘Three Rivers’ discharges to the River Trent.

The introduction of ‘fish-friendly’ pumps will mean both fish and eels can pass safely through the facility, helping them overcome man-made obstacles to their natural migration. The measure is recognised as vital to protecting wildlife and improving the health of rivers.

Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said:

The Isle of Axholme will benefit greatly from this £35m government funding which will better protect the local community and businesses from flooding for years to come.

I am pleased to see the plan will not only bring more protection against flooding, but also have environmental benefits for wildlife and improve the health of the rivers in the area.

I look forward to seeing the work completed.

Andrew Haigh, the Environment Agency’s senior advisor for flood risk management, said:

The £35m investment in a new state-of-the-art pumping station at Keadby will enable us to continue to protect over 15,000 homes, businesses and agricultural land from the risk of flooding across the Isle of Axholme.

We have been working in partnership with the local authorities and the Internal Drainage Boards on our plans to upgrade the current facility with new electric pumps and equipment that will increase reliability and efficiency, leading to more effective water level management in this area. It also offers improved access for fish and eels to migrate between the ‘Three Rivers’ and the River Trent.

The contract to design and build the improved flood defence has been awarded to GBV, a joint venture between Galliford Try and Black & Veatch.

The Government Brexit Delivery Board has been meeting more frequently as the UK prepares to leave the EU, with recent meetings taking place on both 26 February and 18 March.

Communities Secretary, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, chaired the February meeting at which representatives from the Local Government Association, County Councils Network, District Councils Network and London Councils, provided updates and feedback.

Government ministers from DExEU, DHSC, DfE, DEFRA and a senior official from DfT were in attendance to discuss departmental preparations.

Local Government Minister, Rishi Sunak MP, chaired the March meeting.

In addition to the broad range of English local government representation, representatives of devolved administration councils – Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA) and Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) – were in attendance – having been invited by the Communities Secretary to hear an update from Home Office Minister, Rt Hon Caroline Nokes MP.

The minister provided a comprehensive update on the UK Settled Status Scheme ahead of its launch on 30 March.

Update from meetings held on 26 February and 18 March.

Six UK companies have been funded a share of more than £460,000 to fast-track innovative technologies that aim to detect people carrying knives in crowded places such as streets, railway stations and major events.

Distinguishing concealed blades from other items such as keys and coins is challenging for the police, particularly among large crowds.

Now, with funding from the Home Office and Department of Transport, 6 companies are exploring how solutions involving radar and electromagnetic and acoustic sensors could help detect steel-bladed knives.

Minister for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability Victoria Atkins said:

Recent senseless killings that have snatched young lives away have shocked people across the UK.

We are determined to protect families from these devastating crimes, and new technology must play a key role in this, together with effective early intervention work and strong law enforcement.

I’m pleased the government has been able to support these exciting and innovative projects which have the potential to rid our streets of dangerous weapons.

Transport Minister Andrew Jones said:

The safety of passengers is absolutely paramount and we are committed to tackling the scourge of knife crime. I’ve seen first-hand this week the exceptional work groups such as the British Transport Police are doing to tackle this issue, but more needs to be done.

That’s why this funding is so important – it will help us identify ways in which technology can detect concealed knives, helping us keep people safe on our railways.

As part of the Serious Violence Strategy, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), were tasked by the Home Office find new ways to tackle concealed steel-bladed knives.

Through a Home Office competition run by Dstl through DASA, which sought input from industry and academia, 6 proposals passed the rigorous testing process. Now, Security Screening Technologies Ltd, Iconal Technology Limited, Loughborough University, Xenint Ltd, Thales UK, Advanced Nano Tech and Scientific Ltd are each being funded a share of £463,665 by the government for 6 months to deliver proof of concept. They will be asked to demonstrate their findings this summer.

The focus is on technology that is safe, easy to operate, unobtrusive and suitable for indoor and outdoor use, and the work is being supported by the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

If the projects perform to the desired level, the Home Office will work closely with the police to assess how these products could be used on the front line.

The announcement comes as the Prime Minister today (April 1) hosts the Serious Youth Violence summit in Downing Street, bringing together attendees from a diverse range of backgrounds including law enforcement, health, the voluntary sector and education, and young people with experience living in communities impacted by serious violence.

Ahead of the summit, the government announced it is empowering more officers to authorise enhanced stop and search powers as part of continued action to tackle knife crime.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid is making it simpler for police to use Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act. This empowers officers to stop and search anyone in a designated area without needing reasonable grounds for suspicion if serious violence is anticipated.

Last month, the government announced £100 million additional funding to support areas most affected by serious violence, boosting policing capacity and enabling the creation of new multi-agency violence reduction units.

Alongside support for the police, the Home Office continues to focus on early intervention as a key to securing sustainable reductions in serious violence. It recently appointed the charitable foundation Impetus to manage its £200 million Youth Endowment Fund, as a major part of ensuring that more young people are not sucked into a life of crime and violence.