Somerset Levels to get extra dredging as winter approaches

The River Parrett at Westonzoyland being dredged through conventional methods In 2014

Further works to carry out extra dredging on the Somerset Levels will go ahead as winter approaches.

The Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) agreed to hand nearly £130,000 of additional funding for more dredging in the Burrowbridge area.

The money is expected to provide additional protection to rural homes and businesses.

An SRA report said there was "widespread support for this dredging to continue".

The SRA was created in 2015 in response to the catastrophic floods of 2012 and 2013-14.

The SRA funds additional flood prevention projects including dredging key sections of the River Parrett and River Tone to ensure water can be carried from the Somerset Levels into the Bristol Channel, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Since 2016, the Somerset Drainage Board Consortium (SDBC) has carried out water injection dredging on the River Parrett between Burrowbridge and the Northmoor pumping station, a few miles outside Bridgwater.

The dredging, which is usually carried out in December and January, involves injecting water directly into the river bed or bank, suspending the silt within the water and carrying it downstream.

Alexandra Crawford stated in her written report: "There is widespread support for this dredging to continue.

"This project is not immune to the pressures of inflation rising at a greater rate than anticipated, and last year's dredging cycle went a little over budget.

"This increase was accommodated by allocating some of the current year's budget to top up the shortfall, which reduced the budget available for the winter 2023-24 dredge."

The SRA had already set aside £281,411 for this section of dredging in its annual budget.

With the additional £129,760 allocated by the SRA board, which last met in Yeovil on November 3, this brings the total committed to dredging the Parrett to £411,171.

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