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Hi-line Industries, a UK-based leader in the design, manufacture and installation of energy-efficient compressed air purification equipment, has appointed Steve Smith as its new Managing Director. Replacing Mike Thurlow, who has retired, Smith is part of the company’s original team, joining as Marketing Director in 2000 when the business began trading. He has purchased Thurlow’s 50% share of the business and is now busy making plans to drive even greater success at Hi-line.

The outlook is extremely positive for this innovative and progressive UK manufacturer. At year-end (31 July 2022), Hi-line showed 27% growth in like-for-like sales, underpinned by a record year for the company’s N2 nitrogen generator systems and HPSA desiccant dryers, both of which have features and functions that provide notable market differentiation. 

Keeping pace with growing order levels is driving expansion at Hi-line’s Burton-upon-Trent headquarters and production facility. A new building extension is under design, but such is current demand that the company recently erected two temporary warehouse buildings simply to hold the additional materials required for dryer builds. Several six-figure projects are underway for completion before year-end.

                                                                                                                                                                        Continued ……

“This company has come a long when since it began in 2000, but we can achieve even more,” says Smith. “We have new teams in the warehouse and service departments, which will help support our future growth in terms of both physical size and revenue. Despite our ambitions, however, the company’s founding principles will not change. Our experienced and qualified engineers will continue designing and building to the highest standards. We have great confidence in our high-quality workmanship and materials, which reflects in our five-year warranty. I’m very excited to spearhead our ongoing development in the coming years.”

Hi-line is ISO9001 certified and a member of the British Compressed Air Society. The company also supports the ‘Made in Britain’ campaign, which highlights the passion around British-made brands and UK manufacturing. Hi-line’s broad range of energy-efficient compressed air equipment includes air dryers, nitrogen and oxygen generators, filtration equipment, condensate management/drains, and service kits.

www.hilineindustries.com

Increase workplace safety with a world-class Lockout/Tagout solution from a single supplier.

Easily de-energise machines during maintenance to prevent accidents related to moving machine parts and any type of machine energy. Manufacturers worldwide use solution from Brady Corporation to optimise existing, and to implement complete Lockout/Tagout programmes that maximise workplace safety and protect employees. There are 7 reasons Brady is the preferred partner in Lockout/Tagout projects. Check them out!

A complete Lockout/Tagout implementation from A to Z:

• Best-in-class lockout procedures:
  • no time to set up safe Lockout/Tagout procedures? Invite a Brady Safety Engineer to identify all machine energy isolation points and create illustrated, machine specific, world-wide best practice Lockout/Tagout procedures for your approval.

• Optimal procedure management:
  • the process of managing, creating, updating, reviewing, scaling and communicating visually instructive lockout procedures becomes a matter of clicks.

• Block access to any energy control point:
  • temporarily block access to valves, buttons, fuses and any energy isolation point with our complete range of dedicated Lockout/Tagout devices.

• Best safety padlocks in the world:
  • effectively secure the isolated state of your machines during maintenance with our unique SafeKey padlocks that offer 700% more lock and key options for elaborate, futureproof lockout programmes.

• Reliably identify every lockout:
  • easily communicate about ongoing maintenance interventions with reliable Lockout/Tagout tags that can be delivered to, or created at your premises with our safety printers.

• Practical lockouts:
  • make Lockout/Tagout even more practical and efficient using our wide range of clever accessories.

• Easily distribute lockout tools:
  • highlight the right solutions for specific lockouts, and encourage tool returns to the right location with our custom shadow boards.

Discover complete Lockout/Tagout solution from Brady and download the free guide “Enable Safer Machine Intervention” >>

Brady Corporation

www.brady.co.uk

Evapo-Rust from CRC Industries is a water-based rust remover that is biodegradable and non-toxic for the user and the environment. Its formula eliminates rust without having to scrub or sand the parts being treated. The part simply has to be immersed in a bath of the ready-to-use solution, the rust then detaches from the metal surface and remains suspended in the liquid. Compared to conventional acidic or basic strippers, CRC Evapo-Rust is non-toxic, non-caustic and non-corrosive, and does not affect plastic, PVC, Viton and non-oxidized paint on treated parts.

The treatment is fast, a light layer of rust is removed in only 15 to 30 minutes, a medium layer in 6 hours, and a thick layer in 12 to 24 hours.

Several reuse cycles

The same CRC Evapo-Rust bath can be reused several times, depending on the intensity of the rust layer on the treated parts, which makes it economical. 5 litres of Evapo-Rust can remove 0.3 Kg of pure dry rust. Moreover, preliminary cleaning is only necessary in the case of very dirty and greasy parts. Once the part has been derusted, you only need to rinse it with water.

The reausable Evapo-Rust can be used to restore metal parts and tools rapidly and efficiently in all types of industry: automotive, construction, marine, metalworking, etc.

Safe to use for both the user and the environment

CRC Evapo-Rust's water-based formula, readily biodegradable in accordance with the OECD 301B standard, does not emit any unpleasant odours or volatile organic compounds (VOC) that could potentially harm the environment. It is perfectly soluble in water and is easily removed after use. It is ph-neutral, so it presents no risk of skin irritation or danger to the user´s eyes. Moreover, it is non-flammable, which simplifies its conditions of use and storage.

CRC Evapo-Rust is available in 1l, 5l and 20l drums, with labelling in 24 languages. It is REACH compliant.  

Manufacturers should urgently review the condition of their drainage systems to guard against the risk of flooding, advises Kevin Moon, Managing Director of drainage and wastewater specialist Lanes Group plc.

The summer heatwave and subsequent warnings about flash floods demonstrates there is no room for complacency when it comes to factory site drainage as climate change takes hold.

Kevin Moon added: “We recommend that manufacturers review their flooding risks and the condition of their site drainage systems, as a key part of business continuity planning, as we head into autumn.

“Climate change is likely to put greater strain on site drainage systems. If they fail, the commercial consequences could be catastrophic.

“Making sure site drainage is in as good condition as possible, in terms of being free of debris that can disrupt water flows and reduce capacity and in good repair, should be a priority in situations like this.”

Lanes Group is the UK’s largest drainage and wastewater specialist. It helps thousands of businesses across the UK protect their properties through planned and reactive site drainage cleaning and maintenance services.

The company also delivers sewer unblocking, repair and rehabilitation services for many water companies, including Thames Water, Severn Trent, Northumbrian Water and Scottish Water.

Lanes has put together a 7-step check list to support a site drainage resilience review:

1. Is your property location at particular risk of localised flooding?
2. Do you have an accurate and up to date map of your site drainage system and assessments of its condition and capacity? These can only be obtained by a drainage specialist carrying out a full site CCTV drainage survey.
3. Is the planned preventative maintenance schedule for the property’s drainage system up to date? Has the drainage system been cleaned in the last 12 months?
4. Are you already experiencing any problems with your drainage system? Does water pool on surfaces around your property after it rains? Do sinks drain and toilets flush properly?
5. Are water courses around your property in optimum condition? Are storm culverts serving your site regularly inspected and cleaned?
6. Has there been any extensive building carried out recently that might affect your site drainage system?
7. Do you have emergency preparations in place if a flood occurs? This may include access to an emergency response service from a reputable drainage specialist and plans to protect assets and deliver services from a different location.

Just like clean water pipes, surface water drains and sewers can be affected by the seasonal contraction and expansion of clay soils, resulting in pipe joints being displaced, pipes cracking or even collapsing.

This problem is expected to become more commonplace due to climate change, with northern areas of the UK increasingly affected for the first time due to changing weather patterns.

During prolonged periods of dry weather, tree root systems grow more aggressively as they search for water and nutrients, increasing the risk of root infestation of drainage pipes.

Low flow rates in sewers and surface water drains during dry weather allow heavier solid material and debris washed into the system to build up, compromising its capacity, increasing the risk of flooding.

Kevin Moon said: “Climate change is creating more volatile, more unpredictable weather. This, in turn, means the condition of site drainage systems can change more rapidly than in previous times.

“The only answer is to tighten planned preventative maintenance systems, with more frequent and thorough inspection and drain cleaning regimes, beginning with asking the questions detailed in our drainage resilience checklist.

“The alternative may be to expose business sites to greater risk of serious flooding events and the far greater costs they incur.”

www.lanesfordrains.co.uk

Leeds-based production and maintenance monitoring provider, DATAHONE Ltd, has announced a co-sell agreement with Ultimo, a leading provider of Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) solutions for the mid-market.

Both companies already work with UK manufacturers to enhance outputs and the reliability of manufacturing assets. Machinery and other assets that are optimised for performance and maintained for reliability deliver positive outcomes for profit margins.

With over 30 years of industry experience, Ultimo has grown to become the leading flexible EAM Cloud platform, rewarding manufacturers with maximum asset availability. The software enables businesses to gain better control over their assets, realise uptime, control costs, and create a safe and healthy working environment.

DATAHONE’s Intelligent Factory provides production and condition monitoring applications to manufacturers across many different industry sectors and, like Ultimo, delivers a host of benefits regarding productivity.

Cliff Brereton, CEO of DATAHONE, said: “This partnership is great news for manufacturers who use DATAHONE’s production and maintenance monitoring capabilities to manage their performance. By adding Ultimo’s asset and maintenance management offering to our portfolio, we can expand our offering and add new value to our customers. Both solutions have demonstrated outstanding Return on Investment (ROI), and being able to monitor production process and assets around the business can truly make a difference to our customers.”

Marcel Leeflang, Head of Channel Sales at Ultimo, commented: “We are delighted to be working with DATAHONE to improve productivity for manufacturers across the UK by reducing unplanned downtime and optimising planned maintenance activities. I am looking forward to supporting customers with our joint solution.”

www.ultimo.com.

https://www.datahone.co.uk/

CARGOTEC CORPORATION, PRESS RELEASE, 18 JULY 2022 AT 10:00 AM EEST

Hiab, part of Cargotec, has received a significant repeat order for MOFFETT M8 55 NX truck mounted forklifts in the US. The EUR 16.8 million order was made by one of the country’s largest building materials supply companies that also placed a significant order with Hiab in Q1 2022. This order was booked in Cargotec’s 2022 Q2 order intake and the units are scheduled to be delivered in Q1 2023. 

Our customer's focus on the consumer and professional contractor segments, and the development of new, efficient delivery models are increasing the demand for delivery capacity and fleet requirements. We are very proud that the reliability of MOFFETT has been a crucial part of the company’s success in a competitive industry. The order is a statement of the continued trust and long-term partnership with Hiab,” says Jani Koskinen, Senior Manager, Strategic Accounts, Hiab.

“We can now deliver MOFFETT truck mounted forklifts that are fully assembled in the USA at our Streetsboro facility. Soon, we will also introduce the eSeries in the US that offers the same performance without any emissions,” says Jann Hansen, Vice President, Sales & Product Management, Truck Mounted Forklifts, Hiab.

The truck mounted forklift model ordered is the M8 55 NX with a moving mast and a lifting capacity of 5,500 lbs, some units will be delivered with 4-way steering for negotiating tight access areas with long loads. The MOFFETT M8 55 NX can transfer heavy loads quickly and safely, even across challenging terrain. While it is incredibly powerful, it is still compact enough to be carried on a wide variety of truck and trailer classes. All MOFFETT truck mounted forklifts are compliant with Tier 4 emission standards in North America & Canada and European Stage V regulations.

All MOFFETT M8 NXs are delivered with connectivity enabled and premium access to HiConnect™ for two years. HiConnect Premium provides real-time insights into equipment utilisation, operation, and condition that can be used to optimise performance, safety and avoid unnecessary downtime. 

Safety is a key issue in most manufacturing and industrial processes, but when it comes to food and drink, safety concerns go far beyond just staff, covering the safety of every aspect of the food item, with contamination prevention being a top priority.

The good news is that contamination can be controlled by proper cleaning and sanitisation so, for processing plants, ensuring machinery is not a potential cause of contamination is a must. Here, we look at some of the challenges bearings face in the food and drink industry and how factors such as the design of bearings should be chosen carefully to avoid giving places for microorganisms to grow.

When it comes to the food and drink sector, bearings have a core mechanical role, but they also have a significant part to play when it comes to complying with strict regulations and hygiene standards, which have recently been put in the spotlight following a spate of food safety scares that have dominated the headlines.

Food safety hazards

Food product recalls are a real concern for businesses and consumers alike. Last year, the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) reported around 150 food recalls for reasons including undeclared allergens, metal contamination, and the presence of harmful pathogens. More recently, Salmonella contamination sparked concern.

Food safety hazards typically fall under three categories: chemical, physical, and biological contamination, with the latter involving microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria which can cause “food poisoning” and pose a threat to human health. With possible disease hazards including Salmonella, E.coli, Clostridium botulinum and Listeria monocytogenes, to name but a few, prevention of biological contamination is essential to limit food-borne diseases which can be a threat to human health and brand reputation.

Researching the key issues 

To get closer to the key issues surrounding bearing contamination SKF, a key bearings supplier to the food and drink sector, recently undertook an extensive test that involved investigating behind and round mounted bearing units in a typical food processing setting. 

This was to identify levels of contaminants and where they are typically found. Results revealed contaminant levels to be high, even after washdown; in some cases, contaminant levels increased after washdown. Similar results were found in bearing end covers. The independent test results revealed food residue trapped behind the bearing mounted unit and inside the cavity through the shaft gap during processing and pressure cleaning; as it doesn’t fully dry post cleaning, it can foster the growth of bacteria. These bacteria can spread in multiple ways, lingering in the air for several hours and then settling on equipment post disinfectant stage; getting stuck in the bearings grease; and, worryingly, actually distributed by the washing process itself.

Preventing contamination

All bearings need lubrication but with that comes potential risk. Lubrication contamination can occur regardless of facility size, operating procedures, and the training and experience of maintenance staff on-site. All it takes is one microorganism particle to penetrate the bearing lubricant. This makes the margin of error for preventing lubrication contamination very small. However, there are some steps to minimise the risk.

When it comes to bearings, the main source of concern in terms of contamination lies in the lubricant used within. To address this issue, high-quality food-safe lubricants, that are NSF, Halal, Kosher and CFUA approved, should be used. Greases that are free from allergens as listed by the EC are also very important. Where there is potential for incidental food contact, NSF category H1 lubricants are essential. Applying the correct amount of lubrication, at the right time, is also a major consideration; you want to ensure the bearing is lubricated sufficiently to perform to its best capacity, but not so much that it risks contaminating the product or dripping on the floor and becoming a slip hazard.

To combat these issues, there are options other than manual lubrication available. The use of an automatic lubrication system can deliver accurate lubricant quantities for increased HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) compliance. However, for the ultimate safety solution, relubrication-free bearings dramatically reduce the risk of potential food contamination both from the lubricant itself and from the bacteria growing on the lubricant.  SKF Food Line Blue Range bearings, for example, are lubricated for life and are designed to withstand the use of penetrative caustic-based cleaning fluids and high-pressure rinsing which can force itself through traditional bearing seals, which can result in grease breakdown, leakage, and food contamination.

Another issue to address relates to possible contamination from behind and around mounted bearing units and in end covers, which washdowns are not always able to remove. Here, prevention is better than cure, so a unit that has been designed with hygienic geometry of the housings can help to reduce potential contamination traps. The back seal should seal statically against the housing and dynamically against the shaft, and the end cover should fully seal against the housing on the front side, preventing process material from entering the bearing. In terms of materials used, high-grade stainless-steel bearing rings, cage, rolling elements, and seal backing plates are ideal for the food and drink sector, along with ceramic rolling elements.

Bearing seals are also another consideration. Bearing seals prevent contaminants from entering the bearing unit, reducing bearing life expectancy, whilst keeping lubricants from leaking out. No matter how well made a component is, ultimately it will start to suffer from wear and tear. The risk here is if pieces of the rubber seal break off a moving part, they can migrate through the system and into the product, which could result in a costly and time-consuming process requiring x-ray equipment, manual observation, and an extensive maintenance programme. However, failure to locate missing parts can have an even costlier outcome! To avoid this and comply with FDA and EC recommendations, seals should be manufactured from food-safe sealing materials and, where possible, coloured blue for optical detectability.

Conclusion

Bearings have an endless list of challenges to contend with. Alongside the obvious challenges that include extreme temperatures, excessive moisture due to continuous cleaning, and exposure to chemicals, food manufacturers and processors also need to adhere to stringent hygiene standards and regulations as contamination is an extremely serious issue, both in terms of consumer health and brand reputation. Given that the food and drink industry is the UK’s largest manufacturing sector, with no signs of slowing down, selecting the right bearing technology is key when it comes to achieving maximum effectiveness in preventing contamination without compromising on production efficiency.

Rubix is Europe’s largest supplier of industrial maintenance, repair and overhaul products and services, and is Europe’s leading authorised bearings distributor, selling over 100 million bearings annually from the largest, most comprehensive bearings range and stock. 

uk.rubix.com

By

Alan Stewart, Rubix Bearing Product Manager – SKF Products

The energy crisis is set to impact industries across all sectors and the pressure is on to optimise energy use and rein in costs.

For companies looking to combat rising fuel bills, a comprehensive energy audit will help identify waste, highlight where savings can be made and suggest solutions to reduce energy use in the long term.

In most instances, the solutions will also improve reliability and extend asset lifespan.

An ISO 11011 certified energy audit can be tailored to individual plant requirements.

It will investigate every opportunity to eliminate energy waste and ensure assets are operating at optimum productivity levels,  providing a sound foundation for ongoing maintenance routines.

Audit assessments might include:

• Air leak detection
• Compressed air generation and preparation analysis
• Compressed air consumption analysis
• Pressure drop measurement
• Compressed air quality analysis
• A quick machine analysis check for energy efficiency

Where energy saving opportunities are identified – and it is rare they are not - bespoke energy efficiency options will be recommended, with detailed analysis of what savings and efficiencies they can offer.

Flow rate sensors

A flow rate sensor projects acoustic sounds into the media and measures the sound waves to determine a speed or flow rate. It can also detect the content of the media, for example the gas content in fizzy drinks, pulp content in fruit juice and any solid content in CIP systems.

The CIP analysis is particularly valuable as it can assess the content to determine if the water is clean. One food company was able to significantly reduce its CIP process time after installing a FLOWave SAW (Surface Acoustic Waves) flowmeter.

The CIP process had been set to one hour, but the sensor identified that the water was clear in around 30 minutes. This not only reduced the required cleaning time, saving energy, but also dramatically reduced water consumption, which provided a six-month payback period and future cost savings.

Data logging systems

Recording and analysing your equipment’s air usage identifies patterns and anomalies in the system’s performance, indicating how and where energy savings can be made.

Electric automation integration

Not all compressors work best on pneumatic systems. If analysis of your compressor indicates that electric automation would improve energy efficiency, this can be integrated into your existing machines and systems.

Pneumatic system efficiency

A number of high and low tech solutions are available which can conserve compressed air and reduce energy use:

• Optimise component size – some companies are using components which are twice the size required. This means the air cylinder is also too big, exhausting air unnecessarily. Ensuring components are optimised to the specific application will save energy and money.
• Identify working strokes – Dependent on the application, an air cylinder might require six bars of pressure to push a packaged product weighing 50kg off a conveyor belt, but only 1kg of pressure to return the cylinder. Your application can be programmed to ensure the pressure is customised to operational need, preventing ‘non-working’ air consumption.
• Regulate air supply – Why pump air to a machine which is switched off? It sounds like a highly logical action but it is often overlooked. The solution can be as simple as installing a device which automatically shuts off the air supply when a machine isn’t running; or a digital system can be programmed to respond to inactivity and avoid a waste of air.
• Air Blowers - Air Blowers are often left on 24/7, regardless of demand. However, a blower can be programmed, for example, to operate only when required or in pulse mode, if that is all that is required. One Thorite customer saved £100,000 a year in energy costs simply by installing a sensor and optimising the blowing process across all production lines.
• Identify and isolate pressure needs – By identifying the actual force required within the process actuators, it is often possible to isolate specific zones where pressures can be lowered to reduce energy consumption.

Voltage optimisation

Due to EU-wide voltage standardisation in the 1990s, some factories are now being over-supplied with energy from the national grid. If your assets are operating on a higher voltage than required, not only can their reliability be impaired due to increased temperature and vibration levels, but you are also paying higher energy bills than necessary.

The audit will calculate whether your assets can operate more effectively on a lower voltage and determine whether installing a voltage optimiser to regulate input could save on both energy bills and maintenance costs.

A major food producer which installed a GWE Eco-Max Power voltage optimiser achieved a reduction in energy consumption of 463,176 KWh a year, reducing annual electricity costs by £40,226.84. It also achieved a reduction in CO2 emissions totalling 243 tonnes a year.

Smart systems

Customised smart systems control panels can be designed and installed. These offer specific optimisation to ensure high productivity and efficiency for process-driven enterprises.

Air manager controllers

Simple software upgrades allow the master controller in your compressors to be expanded without the need for further hardware investment, making air generation more intelligent, dependable and efficient.

Cost benefits

Even when energy prices are not at peak levels, the cost of carrying out a comprehensive energy audit is marginal when compared to the immediate savings that can be made. The outlay can be quickly offset by reduced energy consumption and the return on investment is likely to be months rather than years.

Additional, less immediately calculable savings can be gained from improved asset reliability and lifespan, reduced downtime and a maintenance programme which can therefore be more proactive.

www.thorite.co.uk

I’ve heard a lot about condition monitoring recently – why should I be interested?”

Condition Monitoring is generally a good thing to do, helping you understand the behaviour and condition of your machines, with the key benefits being:

• You can be warned of developing faults in advance, to avoid unexpected breakdowns and optimise maintenance planning;
• You can diagnose what these faults are, so maintenance can be prepared and targeted at the right fix with the right spare parts and tools organised in advance – to minimise downtime during the repair work;
• The biggest benefit comes if the condition information is good enough to allow you to adopt Condition Based Maintenance as a strategy – ie moving away from both Breakdown Maintenance and Planned Maintenance which can save your business up to 90% of the costs of maintenance and downtime.

Why am I hearing more about Condition Monitoring nowadays?

There has been something of a buzz about condition monitoring recently, with new technologies being introduced, new companies being founded and other companies being acquired by larger firms, all keen to bring this technology to a wider customer base.

• There is a wide variety of technologies available for condition monitoring:
  • Vibration Analysis (VA) – has been the most common technique up to now. Although this has been in use for 40 years or more, newer aspects include
    • Wireless sensors – avoiding the very high cost of connecting sensors on every bearing on every machine back to a central point; but battery life of these sensors can become an issue;
    • Energy Harvesting wireless sensors – avoiding the need for batteries altogether;
  • Other techniques including
    • Ultrasound
    • Motion Amplification
    • Thermography
    • Motor Current methods – which in addition to condition monitoring can also bring an energy optimisation / carbon footprint angle
  • “IoT” or “IIoT” aka “Industrie 4.0”. There has been an enormous amount of hype around the Industrial Internet of things, based on low-cost sensors communicating data via the internet. Underneath this hype the key elements are:
    • Connectivity to the cloud
      • allowing data from different systems to be viewed together to give a more complete picture;
      • permitting visibility wherever you are, on your phone / pc / tablet.
    • These elements are all being brought together with Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning (“AI / ML”) to make sense of large volumes of data and turn them into simple conclusions and advice.
      • Cloud processing runs the AI algorithms on a central server, with all the raw data communicated from sensors via internet connections – with possibly large data volumes required;
      • Edge Processing does this locally, reducing data volumes and hence bandwidth requirement, but with potential battery life implications.
      • Learning / Training the algorithms can require very large volumes of data, either using historic records or taking a significant time before good results are delivered.

Model-Based Voltage and Current Analysis (MBVI) – a technology that combines the best elements of all of these categories

MBVI systems such as those from Faraday Predictive provide comprehensive machine information including:

• Condition Monitoring –present and predicted status up to 3 months ahead;
• Of the entire machine – motor, transmission, driven machine, and sometimes process;
• Diagnosis of the widest range of fault types – mechanical, electrical, load, speed;
• Information on energy consumption, energy cost and energy waste
• Flexible architecture - cloud based or local or stand-alone – avoiding comms bandwidth issues
• Installed in switchgear
  • Single set of sensors
  • Out of harms way
  • Can monitor inaccessible machines
  • Minimal cable runs
  • No issues about battery life

How can I evaluate which system is going to work well on my equipment?

Each different manufacturer has their own approaches to this but for example Faraday Predictive offer a service using their portable kit, to assess the condition of a handful of customers machines.  This provides a convincing demonstration of how well the system works on your particular machines.

For more information contact  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +44 333 772 0748

 Drainage specialist offers flood resilience checklist to protect businesses sites

Businesses and householders need to urgently review the condition of their drainage systems as the extremely dry summer weather increases the risk of flash flooding, warns Kevin Moon, Managing Director of drainage and wastewater specialist Lanes Group plc.

The record summer heatwave has left ground baked so hard rainwater cannot soak away and is likely to rapidly build up through surface water run-off to cause localised flooding, with logistics and retail parks, factory sites, and schools often most at risk.

Water that would, in normal conditions, percolate into the ground will also surge into surface water drains and sewers that might not be able to cope with the sudden surge, said Kevin Moon.

He added: "This could make flooding risks worse and result in flooding happening in unexpected places. Rainwater could also be combined with sewage, creating a serious hygiene risk as well as property being flooded.

"Businesses should consider these risks as part of an urgent review of their business continuity plans at a time when extreme weather events are likely to put extreme strain on their sewer systems.

"Making sure that site drainage systems are as in a good condition as possible, in terms of being free of debris that can disrupt water flows and reduce capacity and in good repair, should be a priority in situations like this."

Lanes Group is the UK's largest drainage and wastewater specialist. It helps thousands of businesses across the UK protect their properties through planned and reactive site drainage cleaning and maintenance services.

The company also delivers sewer unblocking, repair and rehabilitation services for many water companies, including Thames Water, Severn Trent, Northumbrian Water and Scottish Water.

Lanes is urging businesses to consider 7 urgent issues when carrying out a site drainage resilience review:

1. Is your property location at particular risk of localised flooding?
2. Do you have an accurate and up to date map of your site drainage system and assessments of its condition and capacity? These can only be obtained by a drainage specialist carrying out a full site CCTV drainage survey.
3. Is the planned preventative maintenance schedule for the property's drainage system up to date? Has the drainage system been cleaned in the last 12 months?
4. Are you already experiencing any problems with your drainage system? Does water pool on surfaces around your property after it rains? Do sinks drain and toilets flush properly?
5. Are water courses around your property in optimum condition? Are storm culverts serving your site regularly inspected and cleaning?
6. Has there been any extensive building carried out recently that might affect your site drainage system?
7. Do you have emergency preparations in place if a flood occurs? This may include access to an emergency response service from a reputable drainage specialist and plans to protect assets and deliver services from a different location.

Periods of extreme heat and low rainfall, as experienced across the UK in July and August 2022, can create a "perfect storm" of circumstances that can make flooding risks much worse.

Extremely dry conditions, especially in areas with clay soils, causes the ground to heave, damaging buried pipes.

This has already resulted in an increase in water main bursts, just at a time when drinking water is at its most precious. In some cases, it has resulted in flash flooding.

On Sunday morning, August 14, thousands of homes had water supplies disrupted in the West End area of Southampton after a water main burst, flooding a road and many gardens.

The week before, a wall of water 4ft high flooded a large area in Islington, North London. Two adults and two children had to be rescued, as the flood water created two sink holes and damaged 50 properties.

Just like mains water pipes, sewer pipes can also be affected by the seasonal contraction and expansion of clay soils, resulting in pipe joints being displaced, pipes cracking or even collapsing.

Climate change will result in areas with clay soils further north in the UK being affected by this type of ground movement for the first time. This has significant implications for the maintenance of structures and underground assets.

During prolonged periods of dry weather, tree root systems grow more aggressively as they search for water and nutrients, increasing the risk of root infestation of drainage pipes.

This can result in pipes becoming partially or even fully blocked by root mass, an occurrence that may only come to light when the rains return and the blockage results in localised flooding.

During long periods of dry weather, flow rates in sewers are reduced, allowing heavier, solid material and debris washed into the system to build up, compromising its capacity.

Again, this is only discovered when the rains return and a sewer surcharges, with water coming to the surface, or it backs up into properties, causing an internal sewage flood.

Kevin Moon said: "The continued abuse of combined sewers, with people flushing items like wet wipes and sanitary products down toilets, and disposing of fats, oils and grease down sinks, also has a worse effect at times like this, because the material isn't flushed through the system by regular rainfall.

"Businesses need to consider all these factors over the coming days and weeks as they review the resilience of their drainage systems in the light of heightened risks of flooding.

"They should also bear in mind that statistics show that most businesses that go through the shock of an extreme flooding event at their property do not survive the experience, even if they are insured. The disruption caused is too severe."

Lanes Group: www.lanesfordrains.co.uk