News Item: 3rd March 2010
West Hart Embankment - Crookham, Update
At an emergency planning meeting held this afternoon in Winchester, it was decided and endorsed by chief and senior officers present, that immediate action was now necessary in order to prevent a potential serious breach of the canal on the West Hart Embankment in Crookham. As you already know and have been previously briefed, this bank had been subject to extensive monitoring and geotechnical surveys over the last few months to determine its structural integrity. Current updated information now makes it necessary to close off and isolate this area by installing a solid damming system within the bridge holes at Double Bridge west of the West Hart Embankment and at Crookham Wharf Bridge east of West Hart Embankment. Water levels will be optimally maintained on the summit pound above Double Bridge with a balancing pipe installed to take water through the isolated section and on down stream below Crookham Wharf Bridge. The isolated section between these bridges will then be drained down over a period of days to enable safe access for specialist contractors to install a substantial re-lining and bank side reinforcement.
The above action is necessary to manage and prevent widespread flooding and damage to surrounding land and property. The County Council realises that this will have a detrimental effect on the navigable commercial and recreational use of the canal but must act in accordance with its duty of care to the whole community. We shall attempt to get the damaged bank totally repaired as quickly as we possibly can using the most appropriate specialists and drawing from the engineering expertise that we now have at our disposal. At this stage a set time frame for this work is not possible, suffice it to say that we will act with speed, safe practice and use all the resources that are necessary to get the job done.
Closure of this section of the canal will be on Monday 1st March 2010 until completion of a total repair. In the interim period extra resources, communication, surveillance and security measures have been put into place by Hampshire County Council, BCA Staff, Hampshire Highways and Emergency Planning Unit.
Further information can be found on
Hampshire County Councils web site:
http://www3.hants.gov.uk/communications/mediacentre/mediareleases.htm?newsid=378319,
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