The project, funded by Government grant through the Environment Agency together with contributions from West Berkshire Council and Thatcham Town Council, has provided a large earth embankment to the north of Tull Way to retain flood water from the land to the north and an outlet structure to control the rate of flow into the existing surface water sewer.

In 2010, West Berkshire Council, in conjunction with the Environment Agency and Thames Water completed a ‘Surface Water Management Plan for Thatcham’ (SWMP) as one of six pilot studies, part funded by Defra.

The SWMP identified a strategy which comprised a series of detention basins or ‘reservoirs’ that are designed to store flood water and then release it at a controlled rate into the surface water sewers under Thatcham to prevent them becoming overwhelmed.

Tull Way Gallery

Tull Way handling the Storm Brendan flow (14th January 2020)

Storm Brendan resulted in heavy overnight rainfall on 14^th January 2020. The Tully Way flood defence reservoir was completed in 2018 and was designed to handle heavy water flows like this.

It impounded over two metres depth of flood water and prevented numerous properties in the Florence Gardens and Bowling Green Road area of Thatcham being flooded.

The Tull Way flood defence allowed the optimum amount of water into the areas drainage system and held back the surplus water. This surplus water was then discharged into the drainage system in a controlled flow.

Florence Gardens’ drainage system operating at full capacity.