Burton Joyce: Work starts on woodland flood defence near village

The £50,000 project on Crock Dumble will help temporarily store water during heavy rainfall

Work has started on creating a flood defence in and around woodland near a flood-hit village in Nottinghamshire.

The £50,000 project, on Crock Dumble, a watercourse entering Burton Joyce, aims to store water during heavy rainfall.

Trent Rivers Trust said the defence would give residents "vital time to prepare for a potential flood event".

Nottinghamshire County Council added once completed, it would also create "a new enhanced habitat for wildlife" in the area.

Recent storms have brought heavy rainfall, flooding and disruption across the county and UK.

In October 2022, flash flooding brought Burton Joyce to a "standstill", forcing businesses to close and roads to fill with water.

And in January, residents in Nottingham Road in the village said their properties had been surrounded by flood water nine times in less than three months.

The project, jointly run by the river charity and county council, aims to reduce flood risk in the village.

Work is taking place for the next couple of weeks.

The Trent Rivers Trust said the "natural" defence would allow water to percolate into the ground or slowly flow into the watercourse when river levels overflow

The trust said the work, which began following a one-year study, aimed to hold water in the landscape by restoring or enhancing natural processes.

A team will be working on a new wetland area, a bund, the restoration of two defunct ponds, and 20 leaky barriers, it said.

The river charity said the "natural" defence would provide additional storage for rainwater and allow water to percolate into the ground or slowly flow into the watercourse once peak river levels had passed.

In the watercourse, logs mounted above the stream bed will help to slow the flow of water before it reaches the village, it added.

Nick Wilding, senior catchment restoration officer at Trent Rivers Trust, said: "The measures implemented will intercept water that would otherwise directly flow into the brook, resulting in excess nutrients and soil being kept on land, which will improve water quality."

Councillor Neil Clarke, cabinet member for transport and environment at the council, added: "The scheme will not only help to protect homes and businesses from flooding, it will also create a new enhanced habitat for wildlife, boosting biodiversity and ecology in the area."

The charity added water levels would be monitored in the Dumble to assess the success of the scheme.