Stanton Bonna's elliptical concrete pipes claim

Stanton Bonna claims that with the major problem of localised surface water flooding, elliptical concrete pipes are a more effective and economic alternative to drainage systems.

Stanton Bonna is a UK producer of concrete and GRP products for the water, road and rail industries.

Richard Whitmore from Stanton Bonna explained: "The elliptical system offers significant advantages over others, particularly box culverts, because it provides a far superior hydraulic performance and a fully watertight elastomeric captive gasket joint".

"Despite the efforts of the Environment Agency, the UK is still faced with ground, rivers and drains that just cannot cope with heavy rainfall.

Urban areas without open ground to absorb serious rainfall events are particularly prone, and have very little warning".

Richard continued: "A significant benefit for specifiers is that where pipes are laid in either the vertical or horizontal plane, the elliptical profile permits self-cleansing velocities at low flow rates.

Consequently the risk of siltation is greatly reduced compared to the equivalent box culvert".

Richard agrees that the draft Flood and Water Management Bill, published in April 2009, brings some clarity to surface water management, especially in its call to local authorities to produce local flood risk management plans - covering flooding from surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses.

However, he believes that high water tables and shallow gradients are best served by elliptical pipes because they have far fewer joints than box culverts and do not require priming or sealing with a separate sealing compound.

He added: "Companies such as Arup and Dwr Cymru Welsh Water have already recognised the benefits that elliptical concrete pipes, but as climate patterns continue to change, there needs to be a faster uptake to this more viable solution to the ever increasing problem of flooding".

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