Herefordshire to get £1.3m for flood prevention measures

The River Wye runs through Wales, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire

More than £1.3m is to be spent on flood prevention measures in Herefordshire over the next five years.

The Environment Agency funding will see the introduction of natural flood management systems on seven smaller river areas that feed into the Wye.

Within those catchment areas are 98 properties "at very significant risk" of flooding.

Herefordshire Council said it saw the plans as "integral" to managing and reducing the flood risk in the county.

In February, flooding affected roads around Leintwardine, Walford and Adforton in Herefordshire and saw temporary barriers go up in Hereford, as neighbouring counties Shropshire and Worcestershire were also badly affected.

The new flood prevention measures mimic natural ways of holding up the flow of storm water, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

These include creating leaky dams of natural materials and attenuation areas which fill up with flood water before releasing it slowly. The measures also include planting trees and hedges.

The seven catchment areas they will be used on are the Bodenham brooks, Brimfield brook, the Cheaton, Cogwell and Ridgemoor brooks, Dulas brook, the Red, Norton and Twyford brooks, Pentaloe brook and Tedstone brook.

Landowners will be advised what financial support is available to put them into practice on their land, the council said.

It is hoped the measures will also improve wildlife habitats and reduce nutrient run-off and soil loss into watercourses which have affected the Wye, which is the subject of calls for special measures to be brought in to protect it from pollution.

The money will also pay for a dedicated natural flood management project officer, and it is expected that it will bring in a similar amount of external funds to help maintain the measures.