London borough to expand flood defences amid El Niño extreme weather fears

An east London council has expanded its flood defences across the borough in a bid to safeguard homes from the growing threat posed by extreme weather.

New stretches of Hydrorock, which functions as a kind of underground sponge, have been rolled out as part of a wider £11million plan.

It has been installed in High Road in Seven Kings, Claybury Broadway in Clayhall, in and Tomswood Hill in Barkingside after all three sites were identified as potential flood risks due to previous episodes of flooding.

Councillor Jo Blackman, the cabinet member for environment, said the town hall is “strengthening our flood defences, reducing local flood risk and helping build resilience” as “extreme weather becomes more common”.

Hydrorock, developed in the Netherlands, absorbs rainwater during heavy downpours, storing it temporarily before releasing it slowly into the sewer network.

The technology prevents the sewers becoming overwhelmed by these sudden surges, which can lead to roads becoming flooded.

In addition to the underground works, sections of road were also resurfaced with permeable paving to further help absorb rainwater off the road and into the underground Hydrorock blocks.

The flood risk reduction schemes installed this year can temporarily hold around 426,000 litres of storm water, and 2.2million litres across the entire borough’s entire defence network.

It follows the installation of six rain gardens in Clayhall, Woodford and Hainault earlier this year.