Severn Stroke flood defence work receives £750,000 in extra funding

Work started last year on £1.8 million flood defence scheme to protect Severn Stoke, near Worcester from devastating river flooding.

This week the scheme, which is now being overseen by the Enviornment Agency, was granted an additional £750,000 of Government funding. 

Local MP Harriett Baldwin said: "I hope that this extra £750,000 will mean that work speeds up considerably and I thank the Government Ministers who heard my appeals and made this important cash award."

The scheme will provide better protection from the devastating impact of flood to 18 homes and businesses - including the Grade II listed, 14th century St Deny’s Church, the 500-year-old Rose and Crown pub, and the village hall.

Archaeology and environmental studies are still to be completed and then work will start on the bund in the Summer. The bund is projected to be completed in the Autumn although a temporary flood barrier scheme will need to be in place while roadworks are carried out through the bund later this year.

However, Andy Goodall, who has been the landlord of The Rose and Crown pub since 2020, says he still doubts the work will be finished in time to protect the village from the autumn weather.

"Nothing is really happening and they haven't actually started it," he said. 

"I don't think it will be finished by the autumn." 

FLOODING: The sandbags put out as flooding began to hit the Rose and Crown in February 2022 (Image: NQ)

Mr Goodall said autumn is when the village tends to flood so the field where the work is being carried out will be covered in surface-level water.

FLOODING: Severn Stroke (Image: Environment Agency)

Once the flood Flood defences are in place they will better protect the nearby A38, preventing disruption to the busy trunk road and the adjacent Severn Trent Water pumping station.

Mr Goodall said: "The project should have already started and the archaeology work should have been completed by now.

"The whole thing has been put on hold and it's not great for me because we'll have to close for weeks due to flooding. 

LANDLORD: Rose and Crown landlord Andy Goodall (Image: NQ)

"We closed for five days in January but I managed to keep the water out."

Mr Goodall said the pub had to be shut for nine weeks last year due to flooding.

"But it is great we are nearly there and the project is coming to fruition" added Mr Goodall.

"Hopefully they get it sorted and we will be flood dry, but even if the bund comes in place, will it be enough to protect the village?"

Mrs Baldwin lobbied Government Ministers to award the cash from a £100 million scheme to help areas which suffers from frequent flooding.

The Environment Agency is now looking to appoint a large contractor through its national procurement framework and work is expected to resume on the project shortly.

Mrs Baldwin said: “I wrote to the chief executive of the Environment Agency earlier this year sharing my concerns about the lack of progress with the Severn Stoke scheme and sharing the frustrations of local people.

“Last week, I had a detailed chat with the senior managers who are managing this project and they have reassured me that although work has stopped at the moment, it will resume shortly.

“I would like to put on record my thanks to the community for their perseverance and the work already carried out by Chris Prosser’s team to recycle a huge quantity of material from local construction projects- including the Southern Link Road - that would otherwise have gone to landfill.

“Although this was originally a community-led project, the Environment Agency will now use one of its major suppliers to get this scheme over the line and I look forward to seeing the bund construction get underway as soon as possible.

“I hope that this extra £750,000 will mean that work speeds up considerably and I thank the Government Ministers who heard my appeals and made this important cash award.”