As the UK braces for
another winter of erratic weather which will see torrential storms batter
Britain’s coastlines and flood communities, Aggregate Industries is
highlighting the need for early intervention when planning defence measures,
reminding contractors and local authorities that ‘prevention is better than a
cure’.
Sea and flood defence
remains one of the most pressing issues facing the nation.
As climate change,
rising sea levels and a succession of Atlantic storms wreak havoc across our
shores; recent years have seen Britain suffer a number of extreme flood events
in areas such as Somerset, Cumbria and Yorkshire.
In addition, record
rainfall and river levels have led to widespread floods severely affecting
cities and communities, bringing misery to the lives of thousands and seriously
disrupting businesses and local infrastructure.
Unfortunately, this year looks to be no different -
latest warnings from the Met Office expect heavy rainfall to hit the UK
in the coming months, with some five million properties across the country, or
around one in six, currently at risk of flooding.
As a result,
protecting British homes, businesses and infrastructure across the country from
the devastating impact of flooding remains one
of the most pressing issues facing the government and local authorities –
states leading construction materials supplier, Aggregate Industries.
Richard Naylor,
Commercial Manager at Aggregate Industries, comments: “The Great British weather has only become more erratic in
recent years, with torrential storms and heavy rain frequently causing
widespread flooding and misery– and the reality, unfortunately, is that it is
likely to get worse.
“As such, it really is
vital that authorities take a pre-emptive approach by acting now and reviewing
their flood defence strategies early on, making any adjustments or improvements
necessary. Not only is this vital to potentially saving lives and reducing the
impact as much as possible, but it can work out more economical in the long run
– after all, it’s far cheaper to prevent flood damages than rectify them.”
Core to this approach
is leveraging the latest construction materials solutions available to aid
coastal and flood defence measures – such as the clever use of aggregates. This
includes natural rock such as rock armour, rip-rap and gabion which are
widely specified by the Environment Agency and consulting engineers for river
revetment and diversion contracts. In such situations, natural rock is more
harmonious with the environment than steel piling and longer lasting than
timber as it forms an effective interlock between blocks and can be achieved on
either a coursed or random joint pattern.
Richard Naylor adds:
“Historically, natural stone such as rock armour has been used to reinforce
riverbanks against the threat of flooding. Key to the success of this strategy
is to ensure that, instead of taking a one-size-fits-all approach, the right specification
and size of rock is used and more importantly, available before, during and
after any extreme weather events.
“At Aggregate
Industries, we work with specialist design consultants to help tailor rock
armour specifically to meet the challenges of different regions and
floodplains. We also ensure that this material is available at a moment’s
notice from several quarries across the country so that effective flood
defences can be installed when necessary.”
