SRA flood works help drivers turn the corner

Thousands of drivers will benefit from works funded by Somerset Rivers Authority to reduce flooding on a notorious blind corner near Huish Episcopi.

A re-designed drainage system at Pibsbury Corner on the A372 will also help to protect four homes in Pibsbury and improve access to the popular Huish Episcopi Allotments site.

Cllr John Osman, Chair of Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA), said: “It’s well known that Pibsbury Corner has flooded regularly over the years, and that can make things hazardous for up to 8,000 vehicles a day, as drivers are forced to negotiate their way around the blind corner there.

“Nearby properties have also been affected.

“So I’m very pleased to see the SRA reducing the risks of flooding, improving one of Somerset’s most important roads, and making people’s lives safer and easier.”

The guiding aim of the works is to intercept and re-direct water before it causes problems down at Pibsbury Corner. More than 135 metres of new drainage pipes are therefore being installed, along with several new gullies, and three new headwalls to secure pipes where water flows out into ditches. Sections of ditch are being cleared. The A372 carriageway and footway are also being re-profiled to remove the low point where water has flooded the inside of the bend.

The works are being delivered for Somerset Rivers Authority by Somerset County Council’s Highways Department using contractors Skanska and Bridgwater-based sub-contractors P Phillips & Sons (pictured above).