Salisbury River Park: Environment Agency apologises over recent floods

The work to reshape the course of the river will be complete this year

A major £35m flood prevention scheme is nearly finished, with pledges it will stop flooding after future heavy rains.

The Salisbury River Park Project has been reshaping a stretch of the River Avon in the centre of the city.

However, some houses near the river in Ashley Road were flooded after Storm Henk.

Andy Wallis, the Environment Agency's lead for the project said: "Unfortunately with recent rain we had, some properties did flood.

"We realise how bad that is, but more properties would have flooded if we hadn't done this work,"

"I know that's no sympathy for the people who had water inside their buildings, but if the same event happens next year these properties won't flood.

"The work we do is weather-dependent and it can only be done when the ground is dry.

"A few months longer and we may well have done enough to stop the flooding," Mr Wallis said.

Andy Wallis from the Environment Agency says the plan should stop future flooding

Work has been ongoing since the summer of 2022.

It is being jointly funded by the Environment Agency, Wiltshire Council and Salisbury City Council

During the work, diggers unearthed the city's old outdoor swimming pool. and a century-old landfill site beneath the central car park.

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More than 1,000 fish also had to be safely moved to a nearby watercourse when the channel was closed for works.

The Environment Agency also moved 150 water voles south to Ringwood.

"We have removed barriers that Atlantic salmon had to cross to spawn, so they will be able to migrate further upstream," Mr Wallis said.

The work will improve wildlife habitats along the river once it is finished

Councillor Caroline Thomas said: "This will be a green lung through the city, which will be brilliant for residents.

"It gives us resilience against future flooding.

"The work has already started to deliver benefits and we'll be finished by late spring," she said.