Dunball giants: photo coverage of an amazing flood relief effort on Somerset Levels

Wednesday, February 5
Environment Agency requests Dutch firm Van Heck to bring over two VP800 electrically driven pumps and three HK700 diesel powered pumps to the flooded areas of Somerset Levels, England.

Director Jeroen van Heck is already on location to coordinate what is to become the biggest flood relief operation in the history of his company.

Thursday, February 6
At 5:00 am, the first trucks are loaded and leave for the flooded area, south of Bristol.

Saturday, February 8 
Environment Agency orders a second shipment of HK700 pumps for another location within the disaster area. Van Heck works day and night to get a convoy of 30 trucks with 20 pumps on the road to the UK.

Monday, February 10
Cranes lift the eight Dunball Giants into place at the end of King's Sedgemoor Drain next to a sluice gate to the Parrett river.

Friday, February 14
The impressive line-up of eigth massive pumps is put in operation at Dunball. When the tide allows the Kings Sedgemoor Drain flows under gravity and releases up to 69 tonnes of water per second from the flooded area into the River Parret. With the Dutch pumps running, this increases the discharge rate by about an additional 15 tonnes per second, disregard the tide-lock.

Sunday, February 18
The pumping at Dunball is stopped temporarily because of scour damage to the bank on the River Parrett. Steel shipping containers filled with ballast are placed in position to stabilise the damaged ground.

Wednesday, February 19
The Dunball Giants are switched on again.

Prime minister David Cameron (left on photo) returns to Somerset Levels for an update on how the county is coping with the floods. He also visits a temporary pumping station at Langport where one of Van Heck's 20 pump is up and running.

Read more on this website
● Van Heck gets spectacular line-up of Dutch pumps operational on Somerset Levels, 14 February 2014
● Major role for Dutch pumps in new relief effort flood ridden Somerset Levels, 12 February 2014
● Dutch pumps assist in massive operation to remove flood waters from Somerset Levels, 9 February 2014
● Dutch delegation to talk to British government about recent flood problems, 7 February 2014
● British media 'inundates' Holland in search for latest flood protection measures, 5 February 2014

More information
Van Heck Groep
Noordwolde, the Netherlands
+31 561 43 17 66
www.vanheckgroup.com

Environment Agency
Pumping operation Somerset Levels