TWO Fenland pumping engines once used to drain the Fens into the River Nene are to be scrapped if engine enthusiasts do not come forward to claim them.

TWO Fenland pumping engines once used to drain the Fens into the River Nene are to be scrapped if engine enthusiasts do not come forward to claim them.

The two Lincoln made Ruston and Hornsby diesel engines have stood in their current location alongside the A47 near Wisbech since 1953 and were operational until 2002 when they were replaced with modern electric pumps.

The engines now need to be moved or scrapped so that the warehouse they’re housed in can be developed into a four-bedroom home.

Property developer David Housden said; “Anyone interested in taking on the engines should come forward. We’ve advertised online and in enthusiast magazines and had lots of interest, but the engines are so big we’ve not had anyone up to the task of moving them.

“It would be a shame to see part of Fenland history go to the scrap yard, but they can’t stay where they are.”

The diesel engines are housed in one quarter of Waldersea Pumping Station, which has been revamped into homes. Three out of the four homes on the site are complete.

The Old Pump House has now been converted into a high end barn style development complete with enormous chimney, the three-storey Wheel House comes with magnificent beams and waterway views and there is the Engineer’s House, a four-bedroom character cottage. The diesel engine house will be developed into Waterfront Lodge, a four-bedroom family home with its own decking out over the waterway.

To learn more about the engines and the development as a whole visit www.waterpumpingstation.co.uk or call 01354 660656.