Radar to be used to find Darwen drain blockages (From This Is Lancashire)

Radar to be used to find Darwen drain blockages

4:20pm Saturday 14th July 2012 in News

Hi-tech “ground radar” equipment used in earthquake disasters is to be employed to discover a blocked culvert in Darwen which caused the latest floods eight days ago (July 6th).

Council experts now believe the rapidly rising water levels which left buildings in Railway Road at risk of collapse were caused by obstructions in underground watercourses.

In bid to prevent a repeat of the chaos caused by three inundations in two weeks, Blackburn with Darwen council has called in specialist contractors Chorley-based PTS International to use their ground-penetrating sonar-style technology.

It can find cavities and air-pockets under collapsed buildings or earthquake-hit highways.

The latest development was revealed at the borough’s monthly executive board meeting by its regeneration chief Dave Harling.

He was tackled by shopkeepers representative Eileen Guy and Whitehall ward councillor Karimeh Foster on what was being done to prevent a repeat of the flooding, and to help local businesses hit hard by collapsed culverts, closed road, car parks and pavements.

Coun Harling revealed that investigations using coloured dye passed through the Victorian culverts had shown that there were blockages at the downstream end of the River Darwen.

It is thought the blockages are diverting the water which led to the sudden flooding which lifted manhole covers and caused the road surfaces to collapse .

He also revealed that on street carparking times had been increased from one hour to three to compensate for carpark closures and that work was underway to open as many of the offstreet carparks as soon as possible starting with all levels of the market carpark.

Coun Harling said that signs had been put up alerting people to diversions and suitable parking areas.

He also stressed that Darwen remained “open for business”.