The work is part of a £4.9 billion investment program, from 2010-15, to help protect infrastructure and maintain water security for the utility’s 8.7 million customers within the region.

Extensive flooding across the UK in 2007 exposed the potential vulnerability of the country’s infrastructure to flood risk and caused disruption to water and wastewater services in some areas.

Black & Veatch will assess the level of flood risk and propose solutions at seven of the utility’s operational sites. The assessments will address river and stream flooding, as well as flooding from excessive rainfall.

In addition, Thames Water has announced that its £75 million investment to replace Victorian water mains in South East London has hit a major milestone, with 90 miles of leaky cast-iron pipe now replaced.

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The company said its engineers have been busy in Southwark, Lambeth and Lewisham replacing up to 1,000 m of pipe each week, with new plastic pipes more resilient against bursts and leaks.

The project, which started in 2005, and is due to finish in March 2013, will eventually see the replacement of 136 miles of pipe.