Government looks to bolster village flood defences

The Environment Agency said it was looking at funding opportunities for the Herefordshire village

The Environment Agency has said it will look for ways to deliver anti-flooding measures in a Herefordshire village after it saw record levels of rainfall during Storm Claudia.

Residents in Ewyas Harold, near the Welsh border, saw flood water flow "like a river" through its centre damaging homes and businesses.

A spokesperson for the government department said south Herefordshire had experienced "significant rainfall" last week but that The Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures had "helped to reduce impacts".

They added: "We are now looking at funding opportunities to deliver such measures at Ewyas Harold."

Jesse Norman, the MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire, described the village's flooding as "absolutely horrendous".

He said: "It's obviously frightening and in some cases devastating for local people, but it's also a tremendous headache in terms of clearing up.

"It should not be outside the bounds of possibility for local and central government to come together and really try to make a difference here."