When a historic bridge came under threat from flooding, Selwood were on hand to deliver a pumping solution
Following a bout of severe flooding in the North East of England in late 2012, many local authorities found damage to foundations and structures of bridges.
West Newton Bridge – one of the oldest remaining bridges in the Northumberland area, dating back to circa 1820 – was found to be at risk. This Grade II English Heritage protected site was in use by cars and heavy goods vehicles,
but Northumberland County Council were going to have to close it if action wasn’t taken quickly.
Nestled in one of Northumberland’s finest National Parks, this would have caused difficulty to the local economy, with many businesses and visitors depending on access.
The County Council contracted VolkerStevin to do the job, having previously worked together on a successful landslip resolution in Rothbury. Selwood’s expert team were brought in again to assess the pump rental and plant hire needs for the job.
Due to the close proximity to the river, one of the key requirements was that all pumps and plant must use bio-oil. The river is a tributary where salmon and roach spawn, so it was of utmost importance to avoid contamination, adhering to the strict standards set by the National Rivers Authority and Environment Agency.
The team were up against a very tight timescale too, governed by the spawning season. Selwood’s Teeside pump hire team were first on the scene to devise the method of over-pumping the existing river, pumping out any contaminates overland to a series of silt busters. These were set up to clean wastewater before going back to the river.
Once complete, Selwood’s Newcastle plant hire team supplied a number of machines using bio-oil, including two nine-tonne swivel skip dumpers with VCAS safety system, one 14m telehandler, one 14-tonne zero tail excavator, one six-tonne zero tail excavator & a number of water bowsers for cleaning wheels of vehicles going onto/ off site.
Selwood’s quick response to the request by VolkerStevin meant the job was up and running swiftly for them to continue – finishing on time, much to the delight of Northumberland County Council. Teams at both organisations have praised Selwood’s teams for their professional courtesy, expertise and quality of equipment used on this prestigious job.
Selwood has made a multi-million pound investment in pump rental
As it consolidates its position as a leading supplier to the water industry and a specialist in water and waste water applications, Selwood has injected more than £5m into its pump rental business unit this year. There will also be further investment planned for 2017 as it continues to expand its rental offering.
The programme will see significant sums ploughed into the company’s equipment and fleet and the opening of two new pump rental branches serving the South West and Scotland. A recruitment drive will also be launched to staff the new locations and the developments build on a status as one of the few British companies to design, manufacture, rent and sell its own range of surface diesel and hydraulic pumps, coupled with a reputation for product quality and customer service.
Contractors in the UK and overseas are increasingly driven by operational efficiencies which compel them to choose rental as a more attractive option than capital purchase.
This works in tandem with Selwood’s strength as a global pump sales business because the durability and longevity of its products – and the fact that they are designed with strong input from colleagues in the company’s pump rental division – make them ideally suited for rental.
Selwood prides itself on bespoke and friendly service and has long-standing relationships with many of its clients and suppliers, and framework agreements for pumping solutions with a large number of major UK water companies, including Southern Water, Wessex Water and United Utilities.
The company’s pump fleet encompasses more than 5,000 diesel and electric units spanning from 2” to 18”, including surface pumps, explosion-proof, electric and hydraulic submersible pumps.
Operating from rental branches up and down the UK, innovative pumping solutions can be delivered anywhere in the UK and overseas at short notice.
Selwood is celebrating 70 years of serving the water industry with pump sale and rental and plant hire.
New Pump Launched
As a major part of the investment, this year saw the launch of a new pump, the S150M, a medium head addition to the company’s solids handling range which is to be introduced for rental and is ideal for water and waste water applications.
• Flow rates of up to 650m³/h
• Total heads of 73 metres
• Solids handlings of 75mm.
• Excellent suction performance (NPSHr) and a best efficiency point of 68% at 200rpm (437 m³/h at 51m head)
• Class-leading fuel consumption from the latest CAT C4.4 diesel engine.
• Internal wear parts supplied in stainless steel 316 as standard, providing superb abrasion and corrosion resistance.
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