WORK to upgrade two vital sections of a Somerset flood defence could begin in the summer – though it may take up to a year to complete.

The Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) has been working with the Environment Agency (EA) to make numerous improvements to the River Sowy and King’s Sedgemoor Drain, which divert water from the River Parrett and the River Cary out into the Bristol Channel.

Numerous improvements have been carried out over the last 12 months, removing silt from the river banks and bridges to increase capacity and thereby ensure water can flow off the moors more quickly.

Following a lively disagreement over the timing of the final elements of this phase, the SRA board announced at its most recent meeting on March 8 that it hoped work would begin by the summer – though part of it may not be able to be finished until months later.

The two outstanding elements of the current programme (dubbed ‘phase one’) concern improvements to the Chedzoy tilting weir and the Back Ditch outfall, which both lie between Bridgwater and the Polden Hills.

Both structures are maintained by the Parrett Internal Drainage Board (IDB) and are located on land owned by its vice-chairman, Tony Bradford.

Around £150,000 was earmarked for these improvements, which will reduce the amount of agricultural land affected by flooding in this section of the Somerset Levels and Moors, and thereby reduce the amount of lost income for local farmers.

The EA originally intended for work to begin in September 2023, but postponed this to mid-January – only to find it was unable to access the sites.

This prompted criticism from both Mr Bradford and the SRA board, which stated in January that it was “not walking away from it” and was “determined to get this done”.

Iain Sturdy from the Somerset Drainage Board Consortium provided an update when the board met in Shepton Mallet on March 8.

He said; “We’ve carried out a site inspection with consultants and engaged with a suitable contractor.

“They are gathering and compiling existing information from the EA – we have most of that already.

“Our aim is to investigate the potential for a lower-cost solution and come up with a plan to present to the board later this year.

“It is very unlikely that work will be able to commence in July this year. We are most likely looking at a start date of July 2025.

“If the project completion plan can be achieved, hopefully we can do the outfall structures in 2024 and the bank work in 2025.”

Councillor Mike Station, who chaired the meeting, welcomed the news that some of the less intrusive elements of the upgrade could be done without having to wait another winter.

He said: “We are doing something – the outfall work can be done this summer.

“I think we have trust in Iain’s team to get things together to ensure these works will be done in the next 18 months.”

Mr Bradford said it was important not to delay the upgrades any further beyond mid-2025, claiming that disgruntled landowners were unhappy about the slow progress being made.

He said: “I’m terribly disappointed we can’t do the bank work, but that’s understandable – it is a bigger phase of work.

“It’s going to cause problems for the drainage board – having only three quarters of a completed scheme, adjacent landowners are being seriously disadvantaged.

“They’ve been under flood water since October, and now they’re threatening not to pay their drainage rates this year,“

The next board meeting is expected to take place on June 14.

Following the meeting, a spokesman for the SRA confirmed: “Board members have agreed that the various partners should work together on steps necessary for completing phase one of the River Sowy-King’s Sedgemoor Drain enhancements scheme.

“As part of this collective effort, the Parrett Internal Drainage Board is going to look at the latest details of the works needed on the outfall structures at Chedzoy Tilting Weir and the KSD Back Ditch to determine if works can start in July 2024.”