Council continues highway drainage improvements across Powys

Powys County Council is continuing its targeted programme of ditching and drainage works this winter.

The council says it is building on the significant progress made during 2025/26 to help protect roads from flooding and water-related damage.

The 2026/27 programme is being delivered across Powys, with locally sourced contractors undertaking planned ditching and drainage works, while in-house highways teams remain focused on reactive maintenance, winter service duties and emergency response.

Last year's programme delivered more than 174,000 metres of ditching, almost 180,000 metres of siding work (where verges are cut back so drainage features are visible and functioning), over 11,000 grip reinstatements (where channels are cut through verges to allow water to leave the carriageway and enter drainage systems) and more than 10,800 gullies emptied across the county.

This winter's programme is targeting known drainage issues, local priorities and identified problem areas, supporting the council's longer-term ambition of developing a rolling programme to address known flooding hotspots and improve drainage across the highway network.

Councillor Jackie Charlton, Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys, said: “This programme builds on the positive progress made over the last year and allows us to take an increasingly planned and targeted approach to highway drainage.

“By focusing resources on known problem locations, we can help reduce the risk and impact of highway flooding, improve the resilience of our roads and reduce water-related deterioration.

“Using dedicated contractors to deliver the planned programme also means our in-house highways teams can remain focused on reactive maintenance, winter service responsibilities and responding to emergency situations throughout the winter period.”