Bude flood prevention scheme work starts

The area around Ergue-Gaberic Way will be protected by the scheme

A major project to prevent flooding in part of Cornwall is due to start.

The £1.45m Crescent Flood Defence and River Restoration Project will protect 22 homes and 15 commercial and community properties in Bude and is expected to be completed by April.

The properties are in the Crescent and Ergue-Gaberic Way, between the River Neet and Bude Canal.

The main work on the project led by the Environment Agency is expected to begin on Tuesday.

It involves raising and strengthening the existing embankment along the River Neet, installing new floodgates and creating new habitats for wildlife.

Nanny Moore's Bridge and Ergue-Gaberic Way will be closed from 29 August until the end of October for heavy construction works.

Erque-Gaberic Way will then have partial closures until April 2024, with access maintained for local premises.

Tony Rago, of the Environment Agency, said: "The new works will strengthen the existing flood scheme and better protect the local community and economy from flood events, predicted to increase in the near future as a result of climate change."

When the construction work has been completed, the Environment Agency will replant the embankment.