A SOMERSET resident has called for urgent action to improve one of the county’s main rivers to protect rural towns and villages from further flooding.

The River Brue begins in Brewham near Bruton and flows over the Somerset Levels, separating Glastonbury and Street, before reaching the sea at Highbridge.

Many of the lower reaches of the river are very close to sea level, making large parts of the catchment prone to flooding – especially following periods of heavy rain, such as those seen in September 2023.

The Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) completed detailed modelling work in February, showing which parts of the catchment area are most likely to be hit by flooding – making it easier to identify and prioritise sites where improvements could be made.

Mr Smart, who sits on Wedmore Parish Council, raised the issue when the SRA board met in Bridgwater on September 20.

He said: “Around £209,000 of public funds has been spent, yet no flood prevention work will have been undertaken in the nine years since the funding was first awarded. Nor, at this stage will there be any certainty of future funding for interventions being available.

“What urgent activity is proposed to ensure that, having spent all this public money, substantial funds are secured to ensure flood prevention work goes ahead without delay? A clear time table for delivery is needed.

“As the Brue is classed as a main river, what discussions or negotiations have been held with regional Environment Agency (EA) officers, given that only they can undertake or authorise such work? They have indicated that they have no funds to do so.”

Since the modelling work was completed, the SRA and Somerset Council have been looking in detail to ways to improve the Brue, focussing on a “whole catchment approach” (i.e. ways to enhance the enter river) as well as site-specific interventions.

The proposed interventions include modifying Clyse Hole and the Meare Ponds to enhance water flow downstream of Glastonbury, desilting the decoy rhynes along the river, and desilting and levelling the riverbanks between Westhay Bridge and the North Drain pumping station.

Neil Ogilvie, Somerset Council’s flood and water management service manager, said: “ some of these projects could be commissioned within less than six months, while the wider interventions were expected to take 12 to 18 months from award of commission to completion.”