Tyres represent the culmination of almost a century of effort to produce a very tough product. So successful have we been that their disposal is now a major problem (Environment Agency, 1998).

This paper demonstrates the application of best practice in terms of innovative use of waste car tyres for flood embankment construction.

The Lower Witham Flood Defences comprise a £10 million package of works being undertaken by the Environment Agency in partnership with Bullen Consultants and May Gurney Construction.

The works entail the raising and strengthening of 30km of flood defences. Traditionally the work has been undertaken using clay fill. However, due to geotechnical stability and environmental issues, an alternative design was sought for one site to reduce the footprint of the embankment and the potential environmental damage to the nearby ditch.

One million used car tyres, compressed and bound into bales of approLicence is required to manufacture, transport and store them. Once the bales have beenximately 100 tyres, were used as a lightweight fill material. However, used tyres are a waste material and a Waste Management  incorporated into the engineering structure, they have been recovered as an engineering material and are no longer waste.

The paper will provide details on the design/construction of tyre bale embankments and the stages involved in obtaining approval in terms of a Waste Management Licence.

This is the first extensive trial of tyre bales in fluvial flood defences in the United Kingdom. To date the construction process has progressed smoothly. The site will be monitored (biological and chemical) for 3 years. Previous research indicates that the expected results will show minimal leachates and disturbance to the local environment. The use of baled tyres as an engineering material could have many applications for the construction industry, reducing the volume of tyres that would otherwise go to landfill.