West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has welcomed further progress on her long-standing campaign to secure a permanent flood defence scheme for Severn Stoke.

The scheme has been given the green light by planners and it is hoped that work can start on the construction next year.

The plan had been approved by Malvern Hills District Council last November, but the scheme needed to be revised following feedback from Worcestershire County Council and other stakeholders.

Harriett has been working with community groups since the village suffered serious flooding in 2012 and she has lobbied the Environment Agency and a succession of Government Ministers to secure funding and drive the project forward.

The community-led project is aimed at protecting homes, the historic church, a popular pub and the village hall and will use local materials and local contractors.

Harriett commented:

“It has been a tremendously long journey for the villagers who have led this project and I am relieved that this latest hurdle has been cleared.

“We all hope for a dry winter and I’ve asked for a timeline of works so we can try to keep this project on track.

“It is my hope that both Severn Stoke’s and Tenbury Wells’ permanent schemes get spades in the ground in 2022 and we get yet more important flood defences to protect homes and businesses during the inevitable periods of bad weather.”