Investigation ‘ongoing’ into source of water affecting flood-hit A143 Compiegne Way, Bury St Edmunds

An investigation into the Compiegne Way flooding which forced its weeks-long closure last month is to be completed as a priority, highways bosses said today.

The Bury St Edmunds stretch of the A143 reopened on Thursday after being closed for nearly four weeks, causing widespreasd disruption across the town.

This week, Suffolk Highways said it was continuing to investigate the source of water affecting the road.

At the same time Suffolk County Council is to undertake a section 19 flood investigation as ‘a priority’ – potentially within the coming weeks.

A section 19 flood investigation report is a public statement of the circumstances of a flood event, the responsible parties and their actions as a result of the flooding.

The investigation is not an in-depth analysis of the flood risk and does not give the council power to require or demand any parties to undertake any work.

However, the independent review will provide context as to what happened and offer recommendations on how flood risk could be managed in the future.

The county council usually handles around three to four section 19 investigations per year but is set to handle 60-80 investigations this year, partly due to storms Babet and Ciarán.

“It’s good news this [Compiegne Way] will be getting seen sooner,” said a Suffolk Highways spokesman.

Meanwhile, investigations are ongoing into the source of water which could have contributed to the flooding.

Suffolk Highways said there was evidence of water still coming up through the eastern side of the road.

“We have engaged with Anglian Water, they have run tests on site and have confirmed their pipe is intact, so investigations into the source of the water are ongoing,” said the spokesman.

“Once the section 19 investigation is completed we will have a better idea on a longer-term plan.”

Extensive works on the Compiegne Way drainage system and pumps were carried out by Suffolk Highways in April.

When asked why these did not work, the spokesman said they likely failed as a result of Storm Babet, in October, and the ‘unprecedented amount of debris and silt depositied in this location’.

“We are going to implement a more regular maintenance regime to maintain the pumps in this area,” he added.

Meanwhile, roads damaged as a result of heavy usage during the Compiegne Way closure are under way or scheduled. Fornham Road was booked in for repairs last night, followed by Mill Road tonight and The Aenue on Monday.

The costs of the works to reopen Compiegne Way have not yet been calculated.