Changes approved to protect A38 in Somerset from flooding

Flood protection works beneath a key road linking two Somerset towns have been approved.

Blackbird Bends, near the confluence of Haywards Water and Hockholler Stream under Hockholler Bridge, is on the A38 between Wellington and Taunton.

The Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) has agreed to de-silt Haywards Water under the road to allow the streams to flow more smoothly into the River Tone.

The measures were approved at an SRA board near Bridgwater on January 20.

Localised flooding has previously led to one or both lanes of the road being shut, causing disruption for residents and businesses.

An SRA spokesman said de-silting bridges and re-aligning channels "improves the flow of watercourses and increases the volumes of water they can carry.

"This reduces the risks of flooding for roads, nearby homes and land."

They added that de-silting the bridge is "an interim measure" while a detailed study is carried out, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Improvement schemes were previously carried out on other stretches of the road, with a new drainage system being installed in 2018 at Rumwell, Taunton, and a similar scheme being implemented in Chelston in 2019.

An SRA-commissioned study in 2019 found that Haywards Water had sufficient capacity for "all but the most extreme flooding events" and did not need to be widened.

David Jones, highways asset commissioner at Somerset County Council, said silt was affecting the capacity of the stream adding that further studies were needed to see whether the nearby weir was impeding the flow of silt downstream.

Up to £20,000 has been assigned to a flood prevention study focused on the weir.

Funding for both the study and de-silting will be confirmed in the SRA's annual budget on March 3.

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