A WAR chest of £155,000 will cut the risk of Taunton Deane flooding blackspots being submerged.

The green light has been given by Somerset County Council to five major drainage improvement schemes in the district:

• Survey of the existing drainage system on the A38 at Rumwell to inform works that will be undertaken for the Somerset Rivers Authority.

  • The A38 at Chelston, near Wellington, where a survey of the existing drainage system will help inform works that will be undertaken for the Somerset Rivers Authority.
  • Repairs to a Victorian culvert and survey of the drainage system at North Curry to identify issues and decide further works.
  • Working with a landowner at Edgeborough Lane to improve drainage off the highway.
  • Continued work to reduce road flooding at North Curry caused by run-off from surrounding fields by increasing the capacity of an outfall.

Improving drainage at the five sites will make it easier for the network to cope with severe weather and reduce the risk of flooding.

The schemes, which include work to tackle frequent road flooding in North Curry, are being funded from a £10 million Department for Transport grant to the county council following the severe flooding in the winter of 2013/14.

So far £9 million has been spent on various flood reduction schemes set out in the Levels and Moors 20 Year Flood Action Plan, including the raising of the road at Muchelney and installing culverts at Beer Wall on the A372.

The remaining money has now been allocated to other projects that reduce the likelihood and impact of flooding, including the schemes in Taunton Deane.

Cllr David Fothergill, County Hall's member for highways, said: “It’s great to be giving the go ahead to these schemes that will benefit many residents and motorists.

“I’m sure the works to try and tackle road flooding in North Curry will be especially welcomed.

"We’ve been working really hard with partners to get the most out of the money granted by the DfT and this is the final stage of that.

Somerset County Gazette:

David Fothergill.

“This work is all about improving drainage and the flow of water through the system to make it more able to deal with the kind of weather that brought about the floods three years ago.”

“Obviously no-one could rule out future flooding, but works like these reduce its likelihood and limit the impact of any flooding that does happen.”

The county council also recently used £250,000 from the remaining DfT grant to fund the removal of a large ‘lump of concrete’ under the Dunball Old Bridge to improve water flows in the King Sedgemoor Drain.