A new £6 million tidal gauge to help the Environment Agency (EA) measure tides, predict flooding and assess the impact of climate change, has been installed in Lincolnshire.

VBA, a joint venture comprising of VolkerStevin, Boskalis Westminster and Atkins, delivered the project.

The scheme completes a national network of 44 gauges that record information about sea levels to provide more accurate forecasts.

The instrument is on a platform measuring approximately two metres across and 11 metres above sea level.

It is located 4km offshore in The Wash near the port of Sutton Bridge.


Meteorological equipment on board will measure wind speed an direction along with air pressure and temperature. The Eastern Fisheries and Conservation Association (EFCA) also has equipment on the platform to measure the water's quality and salinity.

VBA appointed Volker Stevin International and Stemat to assist in the transportation, installation and supply of a specific crane barge to complete the works.

Claire Rose, flood and coastal risk management team leader at the EA, said: "This new gauge has a practical benefit for local communities as the information it gathers on sea levels will help us predict tidal surges and therefore improve our flood warning service.

"It's a nationally important project, too, as it fills in the last gap in the UK's monitoring network to give us the best picture of tidal conditions across the country.

"The gauge will prove invaluable throughout its 60-year lifetime by transmitting other important scientific data to a range of partner organisations."

The £6m project was funded through Defra's flood defence Grant In Aid scheme and was completed in May.

(LM)