Wiltshire Council to invest another £1m into preventing flooding

Wiltshire Council has announced a further £1m investment in preventing flooding by improving drainage systems around the county.

The additional funding will be spent on small-scale drainage improvements throughout the county to reduce the risk of flooding. The work will focus on fixing issues at a very local level to prevent road flooding, which in turn can flood properties and damage the road.

The full list of areas for improvements will be created with input from the council’s Operational Flood Working Groups and will focus on smaller schemes to allow a larger number to be delivered across the county.

Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of Wiltshire Council, said: “The recent winter was one of the wettest on record, and climate change will continue to bring us wetter conditions and more intense rainfall events in the coming years.

“We know that these increased flooding incidents can have a real impact on our communities, which is why we are investing more money into drainage improvements throughout Wiltshire.

“This extra investment, which meets our Business Plan commitment to have well-connected communities, will see a significant number of permanent improvements to the drainage in many of our rural communities, which are often among the worst affected.

“While other councils around the country are cutting budgets, we are investing millions in the things that really make a difference to people’s everyday lives, including filling more potholes, emptying more gullies and completing more drainage improvements across Wiltshire.”

To report flooding or blocked gullies, people can go to www.wiltshire.gov.uk/mywilts or call 0300 456 0100.

To find out more about Operational Flood Working Groups, people can go to www.wiltshire.gov.uk/civil-emergencies-operational-flood-working-groups.