A MULTI-million pound flood alleviation scheme is being pushed forward by Hampshire County Council.

The scheme in Buckskin has been proposed for a number of years since dozens of families had to evacuate their homes after groundwater contaminated with raw sewage flooded their properties in 2014.

Work on the flood defences, which will be carried out in two phases, is expected to get underway later this year.

In total, the implemented scheme will cost £6.24 million. The county council is contributing £2.04 million, with £1.75 million coming from the Government’s Flood Defence Grant in Aid, £2.2 million from the Thames Regional and Coastal Committee Local Levy, and £250,000 from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

With the funding confirmed, the next phase is for the work to get underway.

Councillor Rob Humby, executive member for environment and transport at the county council, said: “I’m pleased that we’ve got to the stage now where we’ve completed investigations, worked with partners, listened to the community and, crucially, confirmed funding to put in place a scheme which will help mitigate the impact of flooding in Buckskin in future.

“The flooding Buckskin suffered during the severe winter of 2014 proved complex to tackle because it came from a combination of sources, including groundwater and surface water. I’d like to thank the people of Buckskin for their patience while we have investigated a solution, and reassure them that we will continue to do all we can to reduce the impact of flooding on their community.”

Phase one of the scheme aims to improve the capacity of ditches and culverts from Saunders Field, along Churchill Way West up to Worting Road Roundabout.

Phase two will consist of ditch works to enhance natural flood storage in Saunders Field, works to the subway near McDonalds, and new drainage to collect and connect rising ground water from between houses in the Buckskin area to a new surface water gravity pipe.

The pipe will be installed between the Ridgeway Centre on the Buckskin Estate and the start of the existing winterbourne ditch to the north of Worting Road Roundabout.

Once complete, there will be a significant reduction in the risk of flooding to properties in Buckskin.