Project to cut coastal village floods gets funding

Residents in Pett Level say the area has suffered several floods in recent years

An ambitious project is underway to help prevent flooding in a coastal village in East Sussex.

Residents in Pett Level are planning a three-year project to use nature-based solutions to help prevent flooding with the support of a £395,000 Environment Agency grant.

They say there have been several floods in recent years, with about two dozen homes being hit twice last year.

The project aims to hold water in the valley sides during peak rainfall and to release it slowly, lowering the height of floods.

This could be done by improving ground cover to allow woodlands and grasslands to absorb more water and by creating mini "leaky dams" that hold back water during torrential rain.

Chris Saint, flood warden for the area which lies at the bottom of a valley, said water can flow down the steep slopes at a rate of five tonnes a second.

He said flooding had become worse in recent years due to climate change, more hardstandings due to development, and issues with the local sewer.

Project partners are forming a charity called the Future Landscapes Trust which aims to hear the community's views.

The organisations involved include the Marsham Brook Lane Residents Association, the RSPCA, local parish councils, High Weald National Landscape, the South East Rivers Trust, Southern Water and the Environment Agency.