WORK on flood defences to protect homes in Worcester has come as a 'huge relief after years of worry' said the city MP who helped residents campaign for them.
The project at Toronto Close in Lower Wick in Worcester officially got underway with a ceremony on Friday.
When finished the £2.5 million scheme will guard 16 homes against flooding after the Environment Agency started work with Worcestershire County Council on the flood risk management scheme.
The close, described as a 'basin' by Ray Grundy who led the campaign for better protection, has a history of flooding from the River Severn and River Teme, feeding into the Laugherne Brook.
Worcester's MP Robin Walker said: “It is a huge relief to see flood defences finally being built for Toronto Close.
"I want to thank Ray Grundy for his patience, persistence and determination as he has campaigned over eight years to get this scheme in place.
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"Along with other residents he has made the case for a scheme that will protect the homes and community for many years to come and he has kept on making the case politely but with determination through multiple challenges.
"The Environment Agency has been working on a scheme for some years and they have done a great job of working with local residents and councils to ensure it can go ahead.
"Along the way we faced challenges from planning, from Covid and from inflation caused by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. This meant that the original £1 million ear marked for the scheme would not be enough.
"I remember standing with Rebecca Pow on a soaking wet and windy Sabrina Bridge during the 2020 floods and arguing the case for a frequently flooded communities scheme and it is to her great credit that she listened and delivered that, which provided the extra £1.5m to enable the flood defences to go ahead.
"I know that since the 2014 floods local residents have gone through a huge amount of worry each year when the waters of the Teme have risen, but I am hopeful that with work now underway, this will be the last year in which they need to closely watch the gauges and fear the risks of water coming into their homes.
"Thanks to Worcester City Council, the county, the EA and DEFRA for getting this work underway but most of all thanks and congratulations to the residents of Toronto close.
"It is a story of great determination and effort from all concerned and I am glad to have played my small part in making it happen.”
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