The council has selected VolkerStevin to deliver the government-funded project, which is due to be completed in March 2019.

This will involve driving 3.5km of sheet piles along the east bank of the river from the M180 to Keadby Bridge.

The extensive flood defence will provide significant protection to the villages of Burringham, Gunness and East Butterwick.

Across the river on the west bank, the defences will be raised where there are low spots to protect communities across the Isle of Axholme.

The flood defences will also form a key role in the council’s ambitious £1.2bn plan to build six new villages to the east of the River Trent.

Cllr Rob Waltham, Leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said: “This extensive flood defence scheme will not only protect our existing villages on both sides of the Trent, it will provide protection for future generations in the six new Trentside villages planned for North Lincolnshire.

“The billion-pound Lincolnshire Lakes project is the largest investment of its kind in North Lincolnshire and will transform our area so it is vital that we get it right.”

“Thanks to these new flood defences we can give residents, both current and future, peace of mind that their homes and communities are protected.”

VolkerStevin, alongside joint venture partners Boskalis Westminster and Atkins, will start on site in January 2018 after preparatory works have been completed.