Trench sheeting helps flood prevention

Water of Leith, Edinburgh

Project Overview

Location	Water of Leith, Edinburgh
Sector	Water
Products	Trench Sheets Sheet Piles

The Water of Leith is the main river flowing through Edinburgh. Though picturesque, it’s been the cause of severe flooding in the nearby residential areas over the years. After Edinburgh experienced its worst flooding in 80 years, three walls along the Water of Leith collapsed. City of Edinburgh Council took action and appointed Lagan Construction to build £11.5million of flood defences along a 2.5km stretch of the river.

The challenge

Precision requirements

Trench sheets needed to be installed extremely close to residential properties, in some cases just 1.5m away, demanding exceptional accuracy.

Historic constraints

Sections of the work passed through a protected historic area, requiring careful planning and sensitivity to surroundings.

Flood defence pressure

A long, permanent barrier had to be constructed along the river to protect homes following severe flooding, increasing both technical and logistical complexity.

Our solution

Our groundworks solution used a combination of trench sheets ranging from 5m to 7m in length, including Multisheet 500/6, Multilock and M15, to form the permanent flood defence barrier. In total, around 900 sheets were installed, providing a robust structure that extended across half a kilometre.

This variety of sheet types ensured that the design could adapt to the differing ground conditions and align with the river path while maintaining the required structural integrity.

Learn more about Sheet Piles

Given the proximity to homes, continuous movement monitoring was carried out throughout the installation process to ensure the safety of nearby residents and maintain stability.

Working closely with the main contractor, our team delivered the works with precision and care, earning strong praise for diligence and professionalism.

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