Thompsons Plant Hire | Plant, Haulage and Specialist Services

On the 19th November 2009 the heavens quite literally opened and West Cumbria saw the heaviest rainfall in living memory. The towns of Keswick, Cockermouth and Workington all suffered from unprecedented flooding during the deluge.

Tragedy struck in Workington with the death of PC Bill Barker who died when the Northside Bridge collapsed as he was bravely trying to direct traffic away from the weakened crossing. The next day both the Calva Bridge and the rail crossing at Workington docks were deemed to be unsafe, and in due course the rail crossing was condemned.

Working in partnership under Kier Construction one of the UK’s leading construction companies, Thompsons Plant Hire were initially tasked with building a solid foundation in the tidal silt, to provide a firm base from which the heavy demolition equipment could be used safely to dismantle the condemned railway bridge.

It was a challenge manoeuvring the truckloads of large boulders into position as the excavator crews had to build a foundation for their excavators in the unstable silt as they edged out into the river. There was an issue with time as the area is tidal which limited the time crews could spend constructing the demolition platform. Despite these challenges the project was completed on time and within budget.

Now the demolition process has been completed, Kier Construction with the assistance of Thompsons experienced plant operators is installing heavy rock armour to the riverbanks in order to minimize any future erosion.