Pix Brook: Flood risk area is shortlisted for £6m grant

The Pix Brook area of covers, Arlesey and Stotfold in Bedfordshire and Letchworth Garden City in Hertfordshire

A council hopes a grant of £6m could be spent managing an area with "a long-standing history of flooding".

Central Bedfordshire Council has been shortlisted for the Environment Agency's Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme.

If selected, the money would help vulnerable areas around Pix Brook, including Arlesey, Stotfold and Letchworth Garden City.

The area around the brook is one of 25 nationally to make the shortlist.

The council said the money would advance its "capacity around emerging flood technologies and unlock new ways of working with partner organisations and communities".

'Innovative project'

Funding would enable pilot schemes for the testing of new remote sensors to gather real time data, influence flow across the catchment and make changes to the way existing flood infrastructure is managed, it added.

Conservative councillor Ian Dalgarno, executive member for community services, said is was for "very important targeted flood management and prevention work".

"The area of Pix Brook has a long-standing history of flooding and water quality issues," he said.

"This innovative project will see significant investment made to improve the management of flood risk and provide greater resilience against the threat of future flooding in the area."

The council will now submit a business plan to the Environment Agency in June.