Plans for nature-based solution to town flooding

Water firm Severn Trent plans to reduce flooding in part of Shrewsbury using "nature-based solutions", it has said.

Its aim is to divert surface water away from sewers and into planted channels called bioswale, to help drains cope with increased rainfall.

The firm said the work on Coton Hill would be part of a promised £470m programme for Shropshire, which includes improvements to the sewer system.

It said it had also offered Coton Hill residents free water butts, to slow the flow of water entering pipes during rainfall.

A drop-in session was held on Tuesday to explain the plans for the Coton Hill area, which has suffered flooding issues in the past, including along the footpath known as the Pig Trough.

Severn Trent said: "Increasing storm events have seen a higher volume of rainwater passing through the current combined sewer system.

"This has caused a manhole cover on the footpath to lift, causing surface flooding."

It said this was known as hydraulic overload, which is "a very complex engineering issue to resolve".

Catherine Webb from the firm, said nature-based solutions "also provide wider benefits including improved ecology".

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