West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has this week praised villagers in Callow End who have pressed forward with a community-led scheme to protect them from flooding. Residents in the village who have regularly flooded in recent years worked together with the Environment Agency to develop a scheme which will help to keep serious floods at bay. And the local flood campaigners worked with a local construction company to reduce costs of building the scheme as well as recycling soil removed as part of local road construction work. Harriett visited the scheme to learn more about the work and offered to help share the village’s expertise with other communities who want to reduce the cost of their schemes. Harriett commented: “I know that the local community has worked hard to find innovative solutions to make permanent flood defences a possibility and this is an exemplary example of collaboration between the public and private sector. “Michael Briggs has contacted me on several occasions and I have done what I can to help this project move forward smoothly. “It has also been helpful that the Environment Agency has collaborated well at every stage of this process and everyone has been able to work together to deliver this important local project. “It was great to visit the site and see the work progressing. I was also keen to learn what I can from the project team to help share their advice with areas like Tenbury and Severn Stoke who are also looking at delivering permanent flood schemes. “I am looking forward to visiting the site again when the works are complete and celebrating a highly effective community-led project.” Photo: Bryan Haines, Harriett Baldwin MP and Michael Briggs visit the new flood defences at Callow End.