£350,000 floods scheme in Shrewsbury off to a strong start

An innovative project to prevent flooding is ‘off to a good start’ according to organisers after work was completed in Shrewsbury.

So called sustainable drainage systems have been installed at Battlefield, Shrewsbury, after the Environment Agency allocated £350,000 of initial funding for the six-year Slow the Flow project.

The project, which follows successful work already carried out in flood-prone areas of the Lake District, includes the creation of landscape features that capture and slowly release surface water before it reaches Shropshire’s rivers and causes flooding further downstream.

Project organisers Shropshire Wildlife Trust in partnership with Shropshire Council claim that the scheme will also provide habitats for wildlife and reduce the flow of sediment into the county’s rivers.

“This is Shropshire’s first Slow The Flow catchment and over the next six years there’ll be another four to five. It’s a good start,” said Pete Lambert, river projects manager for the Shropshire Wildlife Trust.

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