Extra £25,000 council spend recommended to improve drainage at Lytham's Park View 4U playing fields

The move has been recommended by Fylde Council’s tourism and leisure committee under the Park View Drainage Improvement Scheme, which as well as making the fields better for the public to use is aimed at mitigating flood risk in the wider area.

The fields off Park View Road are owned by Fylde Council and occupy a low-lying site which leaves them at frequent risk of surface water flooding.

The council says that new proposal, which will now go before its finance and democracy committee. would bring the total funding for the improvement scheme up to £65,000, ensuring that a high-quality system can be implemented.

Coun Michael Sayward, chairman of the tourism and leisure committee, said: “The playing fields at Park View are an immensely popular local amenity, and we want to ensure they’re in the best possible condition for all who use them.

"The additional funding to this project will let us further increase the capacity of the pumps and follow best practise in water management to keep the surrounding area protected from flooding.”

The existing drainage system comprises a series of land drains which channel water into a submersible pumping station, which then in turn pumps the surface water into Liggard Brook.

Given the age of the system and the frequency with which the northernmost pitches flood, it was proposed that the pump be reconstructed and upgraded, with a new raised outfall into the brook.

In addition, a shallow natural-looking drainage channel known as a swale will be built into the landscape to assist with soak away of surface water, and a bund be established from the currently existing backfilled ditch to provide additional storage capacity.

The proposal would bring the total allocated funding up to £65,000 over three years, and subject to approval from the finance and democracy committee, works are expected to begin in mid-to-late July, with a predicted completion date of late August.

The Park View 4U works are to be carried out during the football close season to minimise disruption to training.