THREE major flood relief schemes in West Somerset worth £158,000 have been given the green light by Somerset County Council.

The three West Somerset schemes include work on the A39 at Dragon Cross, Old Cleeve with the aim of improving drainage to prevent closure of this key route, drainage work at Luckwell Bridge along the B3224 and work in Exford to solve blockage problems which result in flooding and winter ice issues.

The schemes are being funded from a £10m the Department for Transport grant to the County Council following the severe flooding in the winter of 2013/14. 

So far £9m has been spent on various flood reduction schemes set out in the Levels and Moors 20 Year Flood Action Plan, including the raising of the road at Muchelney and installing culverts at Beer Wall on the A372.

The remaining money has now been allocated to other projects that reduce the likelihood and impact of flooding, including the schemes in West Somerset.

“It’s great to be giving the go ahead to these schemes that will benefit many residents and motorists,” said Councillor David Fothergill, Somerset County Council’s cabinet member for Highways.

“We’ve been working really hard with partners to get the most out of the money granted by the DfT and this is the final stage of that.

“This work is all about improving drainage and the flow of water through the system to make it more able to deal with the kind of weather that brought about the floods three years ago.”

“Obviously no-one could rule out future flooding,” Cllr Fothergill added. “But works like these reduce its likelihood and limit the impact of any flooding that does happen.”

The County Council also recently used £250,000 from the remaining DfT grant to fund the removal of a large ‘lump of concrete’ under the Dunball Old Bridge to improve water flows in the King Sedgemoor Drain.