SRA Annual Report 2019-20: Monksilver flood protection works

Somerset Rivers Authority Board agreed in September 2018 to put £170,000 from underspends on projects in 2017-18 into flood protection works in Monksilver. Somerset County Council’s Highways Department then designed a scheme for the SRA, focusing on problems at the northern and southern ends of the village.

Parts of Monksilver flooded several times in recent years, because the drains in key places could not cope with the volumes of water coming down off the Brendon Hills.

A contract was let to Skanska and works began in April 2019. The first two phases were completed by mid-May 2019. These focused on upgrading drainage systems down Beech Tree Hill and along the B3188 (as in the two photographs below).

After a pause to allow Monksilver’s popular church fete to go ahead at the start of June, a third phase was completed. This improved parts of the drainage system going down from Birds Hill Lane into High Street.

At least 15 properties have benefitted from works to stop mud and water surging down towards people’s homes from surrounding steep hills, roads and bridleways.

The whole scheme complemented earlier projects by Somerset County Council, and more minor SRA-funded activities such as underground CCTV surveying, drain jetting, de-silting near The Notley Arms and natural flood management works upstream at Combe Sydenham. The latter were delivered for the SRA by the Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group SouthWest, as part of the Hills to Levels initiative.