There have been many different suggestions for the relief of flooding in the Bewdley area. They include afforestation upstream, embanking areas of the floodplain as emergency flood storage areas, building weirs and clearing debris from river channels. Other suggestions include a flood storage reservoir and a tunnel to bypass the town.
The Environment Agency believes that in the longer term, changing rural land management would be the most environmentally acceptable type of response. But the floods have become more frequent and more devastating in Bewdley itself with some properties being affected almost every other year. After the 2000 flood a solution was urgently needed: the Prime Minister visited the town and promised urgent action.
The Environment Agency produced a strategy to compare the different options. This showed that an engineering solution was the most cost-effective solution that had the least impact on the environment. A demountable aluminium barrier system was constructed to protect properties in the town. The barrier works with a below-ground wall, which acts as a cut-off to underground flow during flood events. About 450m of demountable flood defence has been built, with 150m of permanent flood defence wall. When a high river flow is forecast the Environment Agency's Flood Warning gives at least 24 hours to bring in and put up the barriers.
Bewdley Case Study: How can the risk of future floods be reduced?
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