West Worcestershire MP Dame Harriett Baldwin has welcomed progress on a project to improve flood resilience for the Hanley Road at Upton-upon-Severn.

Worcestershire County Council is planning work to improve drains along the road to reduce the time the road is closed owing to flooding as well as developing a wider strategy to raise the road as a permanent solution.

Dame Harriett attended a meeting with local councillors in Upton last Friday (May 24) to hear the project update and she confirmed that she had discussed the project with the Secretary of State for Transport to secure his support.

The council has been allocated £209 million from the money saved cancelling HS2 to fund major road and rail projects in the county.

Dame Harriett said:

“Now that the road alongside the marina has been raised and the Bluebell Farm roundabout is performing well, I’ve been turning my attention to the need to raise the Hanley Road and help keep Upton’s traffic flowing while the Severn floods.

“I welcome the work carried out by Worcestershire County Council to look at this challenge in detail and there are some immediate quick fixes that could help to keep the road open for a little longer.

“The council’s contractors will now develop a detailed plan to raise the Hanley Road and I look forward to studying the report later this year if I am re-elected to be the MP for West Worcestershire in the upcoming election.”

Photo: Pictured (l-r) Councillor David Harrison, Dame Harriett Baldwin MP, Worcestershire County Council’s Jon Fraser, Councillor Martin Allen and Councillor Emma Stokes.