The Old Pumping Station at St Germans has now been demolished, revealing the new one which has been built to replace it. Picture: Matthew Usher.

New larger plant comes on stream to protect thousands of homes across the Fens.

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It was one of the best-known landmarks in the Fens for more than 70 years.

Now diggers are clearing the last of its concrete foundations from the riverbed, as Britain’s biggest pumping station replaces it.

Work began on the new £37m station on the Middle Level Drain, at St Germans, near King’s Lynn, in 2005.

Engineers said larger, more powerful pumps were needed to protect the Fens from rising sea levels.

The new station began work last April. Iain Smith, chief executive of the Middle Level Commissioners, said the pumps had operated without any problems.

The new station has six pumps, instead of the previous four. The Middle Level Drain is linked to a system of waterways stretching inland as far as Bedford and Peterborough.

Its pumps prevent thousands of acres of land which are below sea level from flooding.

See our picture gallery for a look inside the old station, some views before it was demolished and pictures of its replacement.