Yahoo News Two key parts of Somerset's flood defences will be upgraded this summer
Two key parts of Somerset's flood defences will finally be upgraded this summer - though larger scale improvements in the same location may not be implemented for another year. The Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) has been working with the Environment Agency (EA) to make numerous improvements to the River Sowy and King's Sedgemoor Drain, which divert water from the River Parrett and the River Cary out into the Bristol Channel.
Numerous improvements have been carried out over the last 18 months, removing silt from the river banks and bridges to increase capacity and thereby ensure water can flow off the moors more quickly. Since the beginning of the year, disagreements have been publicly aired over the timing of the final elements of these improvements, with the EA and the local landowner not seeing eye to eye.
Following some progress in negotiations back in March, the SRA board has now confirmed that some of the outstanding improvements will begin very shortly - though others will have to wait until the summer of 2025 to see the light of day. The two outstanding elements of the current programme (dubbed 'phase one') concern improvements to the Chedzoy tilting weir and the Back Ditch outfall, which both lie between Bridgwater and the Polden Hills.
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Both structures are maintained by the Parrett Internal Drainage Board (IDB) and are located on land owned by its vice-chairman, Tony Bradford. Around £150,000 was earmarked for these improvements, which will reduce the amount of agricultural land affected by flooding in this section of the Somerset Levels and Moors, and thereby reduce the amount of lost income for local farmers.
The EA originally intended for work to begin in September 2023, but postponed this to mid-January - only to find it was unable to access the sites. This prompted criticism from both Mr Bradford and the SRA board, which stated in January that it was "not walking away from it" and was "determined to get this done".
SRA senior manager David Mitchell addressed the status of the scheme after the SRA board met in Yeovil on Friday morning (June 14). He said: "On Friday, our members were updated by the Parrett Internal Drainage Board about progress being made with plans for River Sowy-King’s Sedgemoor Drainage improvements.
"The Parrett IDB is working hard to get things to a point where two water control structures - the Chedzoy tilting weir and the Back Ditch - can be upgraded later this year. The IDB is also working hard to get things to a point where a final stretch of bank raising works can be done along the King’s Sedgemoor Drain next year.
"Board members expressed their support for this work. To help speed up work on the water control structures, members also agreed that - if need be - funding could be confirmed before the next board meeting in September. This move reflected the board’s strong desire to see Sowy-KSD improvements completed by the SRA partnership, as part of a programme to reduce flood risks across a big part of the Somerset Levels and Moors."
Mr Bradford had warned board members in March that delaying the final improvements beyond mid-2025 would lead to further discontent among local landowners. Speaking at the time, he said: "I'm terribly disappointed we can’t do the bank work [this summer], but that’s understandable - it is a bigger phase of work.
"It’s going to cause problems for the drainage board - having only three quarters of a completed scheme, adjacent landowners are being seriously disadvantaged. They’ve been under flood water since October, and now they’re threatening not to pay their drainage rates this year."
