Somerset landowner urged to take action over A358 floods

A landowner of a main road is being urged to take action to prevent reoccurring landslides and flooding.

In August 2022, more than 100 tonnes of potatoes and mud were removed from the A358 in Somerset due to flooding.

The major route between Taunton and Williton has been beset with problems ever since, with further disruption in December of last year.

Somerset County Council is negotiating with the landowner over further preventative measures.

In the summer of 2022, the A358 experienced two flooding incidents near Combe Florey just weeks apart after heavy rain produced huge quantities of surface run-off from the neighbouring fields, causing "soil slurry" and potatoes to run onto the road.

Both incidents required lengthy closures and clean-up operations.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the most recent disruption occurred on 20 December, near the turning to the neighbouring village of West Bagborough.

While the tenant farmer carried out remedial work along the vital route for tourists travelling to the west Somerset coast and to the village at the western edge of the Quantock Hills area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) after the summer floodings, Councillor Mike Rigby said "local people and road users are quite rightly fed up with this happening."

Mr Rigby, the portfolio holder for transport said: "The landowner has a clear responsibility to do something about this."

"We are committed to ensuring that effective remedial works are carried out urgently so that this sort of incident cannot happen again," he added.

Essential drainage upgrades and related works are being undertaken at Combe Florey by the council's highways team to prevent further disruption throughout the rest of the winter months.

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