Water firm work to end flooding

A flooding nightmare for people in the Ketley area of Telford could be coming to an end after Severn Trent Water announced the start of work to tackle the problem.

Householders at the bottom of Rock Road and Orchard Close have suffered years of misery because drains cannot cope with sudden storms.

Despite putting up makeshift wooden barriers and sandbags, residents have seen their homes ruined by filthy water on a regular basis. Some people have still not finished refurbishing their houses following this summer's floods.

But now Severn Trent has earmarked cash for investigatory work to begin in the next few weeks.

Once engineers have established what needs to be done, a major scheme will be carried out in the spring and summer of 2009.

Telford & Wrekin Council says the project illustrates a new way of co-operating with the utility company, as called for in the Government's interim report into the summer floods.

The council is currently working on a new urban drainage programme with Severn Trent and the Environment Agency.

This is a national pilot scheme to help identify potential flooding issues before any new development takes place and measures needed to help prevent or limit flooding.

Councillor Sean Kelly, who represents the Ketley ward and is deputy cabinet member for the environment, said: "I'm delighted to hear Severn Trent has put forward money to address this and is to begin initial work on the long-standing flooding problems at the bottom of Rock Road.

"I'm sure this news will be welcomed by the Ketley residents who have been badly affected by floods."