MAJOR works to prevent flooding on the main arterial road in the region are to begin next week.

A £6 million storage reservoir to protect Catterick Village and the A1 from flooding is being constructed, with the first trenches being dug by hand next week.

It is hoped the project will prevent a repeat of the serious flooding that hit the A1 in 2012, when it had to be closed for 24 hours in both directions.

With the A1 Leeming Bar to Barton upgrade due for completion in spring 2017, Highways England and local authorities want to ensure the main route linking the north and south of the country remains open whatever the weather.

The storage reservoir is to be built upstream of Catterick, between Brough Park and the A1, and will hold back 91 million gallons of water which in the event of heavy or persistent rain would overwhelm Brough Beck and put the village and motorway at risk.

The project has been jointly funded by the Environment Agency, Highways England and North Yorkshire County Council and will take a year to complete.

The main works will comprise two large earth embankments up to six metres high, diversion of Brough Beck and the construction of a new flow control structure.

Landscaping will also be undertaken which will include tree planting, reinstatement of hedgerows and the creation of a wetland pond.

Phil Boyes, the Environment Agency’s project manager for the scheme, said: “When completed, the storage reservoir will hold flood water back so it flows more slowly down Brough Beck towards Catterick Village and the new section of the A1. This will significantly reduce flood risk in the area.

“We have also worked closely with the local community and Richmondshire District Council to ensure that the works have very little impact on the area.

“All construction traffic will access the site from the A1 and the recently completed Catterick central junction, thereby avoiding the need for heavy lorries to pass through the village.

“We have also undertaken detailed ecological surveys to ensure that the impact on local wildlife is minimised and we will be installing bird and owl boxes as part of the site accommodation works.”

For further information about the project contact Mr Boyes at philip.boyes@environment-agency.gov.uk or 020-8474-5509.