A FLOOD action group is holding a conducted tour of the upgraded Kempsey flood defences.

Kempsey flood action group (FLAG) is holding the tour tomorrow (Saturday) between 11am and noon.

Everyone is welcome at the free tour, led by the Environment Agency and those interested in going on the tour should meet on site behind Kempsey parish church.

The purpose is to inform the village and the wider community what has been achieved since 2007 in Kempsey to keep the village flood free.

The main improvements that have been carried out recently are provision of a large diesel generator to provide power to the pumps should the main electricity supply fail, placing a new gravity controlled flap gate on the front (river side) of the defences, relocation of the original penstock gate to the rear (upstream side) of the defences, an upgrade of the electronic equipment in the control cabin to make it more resilient and green and red visual warning lights to show the operational status of the control cabin.

Brian Clarke, chairman of Kempsey Flood Action Group, said: "These upgrades will ensure a permanent and uninterrupted power supply to the defences and make sure that in the event of a flood, the water upstream will not remained penned behind the earth barrier when the river level drops and generally make the defences more resilient."

The £1.7 million defences, which opened in July 2012, failed just four months after they were unveiled which led to homes flooding in the village, causing initial embarrassment for the Environment Agency.

A sensor failed when it became submerged which meant the pumps designed to clear the deluge did not work properly and about 20 homes flooding in the village from the Hatfield Brook on Sunday, November 25, 2012.

However, since then improvements have taken place to reduce the flood risk.