Council spends £100k on extra flood expertise

Storm Daragh left parts of Herefordshire underwater in early December

External experts have been brought in by a council to boost its flood response after a year of damaging incidents.

RSK Environment, based in Cheshire, will help develop Herefordshire Council's flood response project at a cost of up to £100,000.

The authority said it needed "additional flood risk expertise".

At the same time, the council has allocated an extra £150,000 to contractors Balfour Beatty and WSP to identify potential flood management schemes.

As the lead flood authority for the county, Herefordshire Council is legally required to investigate the causes of, and response to, "significant" flood events, and to produce a detailed flood investigation report with recommendations.

The money for both schemes will come from the authority's severe weather fund.

More frequent and serious flooding has occurred in parts of the county.

Residents in Withington complained about drainage near their homes after flooding in September

In September, residents of Withington, near Hereford, suffered floods for the second time in five years, saying a ditch dug after the first incident had failed to protect them.

At the start of 2024, people in nearby Marden told how the flooding in their area had also worsened over the years.

More recently, Storm Darragh flooded some places for the second time in weeks in early December.

"Following a number of flood events in Herefordshire during 2024, it has been identified that additional flood risk expertise is needed so that Herefordshire Council can progress its flood response project in order to best support local communities," the council said.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.