RESTORATION work to secure a revolutionary piece of North-East history for future generations to enjoy has been celebrated with an award to honour the region’s engineering heritage.

The Victorian Tees Cottage Pumping Station, in Darlington, began supplying clean drinking water to the town in 1849 to ensure residents did not have to rely on wells, hand pumps and rainwater tubs for water.

The Scheduled Ancient Monument has suffered structural problems, asbestos contamination and break-ins over the years, however an initiative to restore the site to its former glory has been recognised for environmental work.

Representatives from Groundwork North-East and Cumbria’s River Tees Rediscovered received the Environmental Challenge award from Darlington Mayor Jan Taylor on behalf of engineering giant Cummins.

Their work with the Friends of Tees Cottage Pumping station and Northumbrian Water has restored the Coniscliffe Road site’s Victorian-era boilers.

Lucy Chapman, River Tees Rediscovered partnership manager, said: “[The award is] especially important as it highlights the global significance of the River Tees as a natural asset, which should be celebrated and safeguarded for future generations.

“One of our main objectives is to work in conjunction with local businesses and other partners to help preserve and protect the environment, heritage and wildlife of the River Tees.

“Cummins has played a major role in this, with its employees working with us to help keep the local environment clean of litter and landscape unloved areas, as well as using their engineering expertise to help preserve the pumps and engines at Tees Cottage Pumping Station.”

The station is one of the few locations left that houses its original electric and gas water pumps, along with Victorian steam-powered beam pumps of European significance.

Sarah Pearcey, Cummins environmental analyst, said: “We want to support the areas in which we work to grow and prosper and during our time volunteering with River Tees Rediscovered we have seen first-hand how it does this.

“It is a very deserving winner of our Environmental Challenge award and grant, I look forward to continuing our great partnership with local Groundwork projects in the future.”

Darlington Mayor, Councillor Taylor, added: “It’s important that organisations such as River Tees Rediscovered and Cummins work together.

“You get the best outcomes and you make the best use of volunteers and that’s extremely important to places such as the Pumping Station.”