Two new ‘gully suckers’ have joined the Council’s fleet at the Resolution House depot on Cargo Fleet Lane.
The 18-tonne DAF trucks are equipped with 8,100-litre Whale MVC tankers and will be used to clear debris out of drains and gullies and clean out blocked pipes.
They will be put to work daily across the borough, cleaning Middlesbrough’s network of highway drains including gullies and surface water drainage pipes.
They will be deployed where they can have the most impact based on data provided by the Council’s Gullysmart system, and during high rainfall events they will be on standby to deal with any highway flooding wherever it occurs.
This new intelligence-led approach has seen 5,000 gullies visited since April and a considerable reduction in the number of reports of flooded roads.
The new trucks – which cost around £175,000 each – replace a pair that have reached the end of their working life and will be in use across the borough over the next ten years.
They’re joined by a pair of Scarab MC210 compact sweepers which will be used by the Council’s Area Care and Waste Services teams to keep the town’s road network clear and free from debris.
The sweepers – which cost £92,000 each – are expected to be in use for at least the next eight years.
Welcoming the new arrivals, Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke said: “Our changing climate has made the weather increasingly unpredictable, so it’s more important than ever that we’re prepared for anything it can throw at us.
“Keeping our road network clear and safe is one of our key priorities, and the new proactive and targeted approach is already helping to identify and deal with issues as they arise.
“These new gully suckers and street sweepers are a sound investment which will stand the town in good stead for the next decade and beyond.”
