SOMERSET NEWS: Fighting back against the floods

TWO schemes to protect communities on the Levels and Moors from the impact of flooding have been given the go-ahead by Somerset County Council.

A scheme to raise one of the roads into the village of Muchelney by more than a metre and another scheme to introduce four new culverts on the A372 at Beer Wall were both approved today (Monday, 11 August).

The works are being carried out as part of the Somerset Levels and Moors Flood Action Plan which is being delivered by a range of agencies, coordinated by Somerset County Council. The plan will guide water and land management policies and investment on the Levels and Moors for the next 20 years.

Somerset County Council leader and chairman of the plan’s leaders implementation group, Cllr John Osman, made the decision today.

“We cannot stop flooding but we can reduce its likelihood and impact,” he said. “These two schemes are pivotal to protecting communities on the Levels and Moors and I’m very happy to be able to give them the go ahead. My thanks go to everyone who has helped to bring them to this stage so quickly.

“We have spoken to the local communities and listened to them. Now we need to ask them to bear with us because some road closures and disruption are inevitable as we start the tough task of delivering the schemes as quickly as possible.”

A 500m stretch of the Drayton Road from Muchelney will be raised by over 120cm at the lowest point.

A public drop-in session in the village in July helped establish the maximum depth of water during the winter floods. This should maintain road access to the village if there is a repeat of last winter’s flooding that left the village cut-off for a prolonged period.

Alastair Mullineux, chairman of the Muchelney Parish Meeting, said: “We delighted that this scheme is going ahead which will enable all residents of Muchelney to access the village in times of extreme flood.”

The four new culverts at Beer Wall will be built to the east of Langacre Rhyne, which runs alongside the Sowy under the A372. At times of flood, the culverts would allow water to pass under the road and feed back into the rhyne preventing the road from flooding.

Last winter the A372 was flooded at Beer Wall for several weeks and then closed to accommodate emergency pumping. An EA scheme will also be carried out next year to make use of the new culverts to take some of the flow from the river Sowy and to divert the Langacre Rhyne.

Work will be starting on both projects immediately and the aim is for the Muchelney scheme and phase one of the Beer Wall scheme to be completed before the end of the year – though this will be subject to factors such as the weather.

PHOTO - ABOVE: The flood-hit road on the way to Muchelney.

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