WORK on a vital new flood defence bund for a Worcestershire village is now underway.

The Severn Stoke flood bund is finally being built after years of campaigning by residents, with soil having been moved in last month so work can begin.

Now, the county council's highways teams are working to build the bund and keep the village safe.

Dubbed "the ultimate recycling project" by the council, the bund is being made from leftover soil from the nearby Southern Link Road works, which were completed earlier this year.

West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin praised both the council and the Environment Agency in their efforts, saying: "I’ve been working closely with the local community, the Environment Agency and local authorities to secure support for a scheme that would not be affordable without the use of recycled materials.

"This is the ultimate recycling project because the scheme’s costs have been brought down by reusing soil from the large number of construction projects that have been carried out across the county.

"It has been a long journey to get to this point and I look forward to seeing the work making good progress through the next months and into next year.

"I want to pay tribute to the patience of the local villagers who have had to put up with regular flooding wile this scheme was developed but I hope that, with the arrival of this soil, they can see light at the end of the tunnel."

The MP visited the village to see soil being reused from the major building project to dual the bridge across the river Severn in a second construction project to protect the regularly flooded village and the busy A38.

During the winter, soil will be moved from a number of sites across the county and the flood protection will be constructed next spring.