Large pumps from Hytrans used for cliff restoration after UK floods
The UK has over 50 high volume water pumps from the Netherlands manufacturer Hytrans. During the disastrous 2014 Spring floods in the South West of England the Somerset and Devon fire services deployed several pumps to restore the damaged coastline. The cliffs above a stretch of coastal railway track at Dawlish were deemed unstable and before the train track could be re-opened they needed to be stabilized. The unstable material had to be removed in a controlled landslide. The Hytrans Hydrosub 150 pumps were ideal for the job – with their 10 bar pumping action they were able to send forceful jets of water high enough to reach the top of the cliff line at great force. The huge volume of water needed was accessed from the beach below the track though large diameter flexible hose. Spraying up to 3,500 litres of sea water per minute 350,000tons of rock and soil were removed. David Cameron, UK Prime Minister, praised the work of fire service personnel and engineers on site who enabled the railway track to re-open within 50 days.