20 April 2011 Last updated at 07:13 ET

Pumping station for Fens flood protection opened

The new pumping station is expected to last for 100 years

A new pumping station has been opened to prevent flooding of agricultural land in the Fens worth more than £3.5bn, and 22,000 homes.

The £38m station near King's Lynn has taken four years to build and replaces its 70-year-old predecessor.

The Middle Level Commissioners who look after drainage of the Fens said there had been concerns over the old station's reliability.

The new station at Wiggenhall St Germans has a 40% increased capacity.

The commissioners said it can pump the equivalent of 200 bathtubs of water every second.

Chief engineer David Thomas who also worked on the construction of the Channel Tunnel said: "I'm very excited - it's the opportunity of a career lifetime.

"It will cater for the rise in sea levels caused by climate change."

The Middle Level of the Fens was first drained in the 17th Century to reclaim an area in Cambridgeshire and west Norfolk which became rich farmland.