Great Crested Newts have caused a delay in the delivery of a much-anticipated flood defence scheme for the village of Severn Stoke.

Work on the scheme started earlier in the year with soil being moved onto storage areas around the village which will become the bund protecting the vital A38 road as well as the often flooded houses, church and pub.

West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has been campaigning for the permanent flood protection scheme for over ten years and has frequently brought different parties together to resolve problems and has successfully asked Ministers for funding.

Archaeological studies which were paused for a Health and Safety review will continue later this month and a wall will be constructed around the sites to try and prevent the spread of Great Crested Newts which are a protected species.

Once the newts are identified and removed, a contractor will start construction of the bund during the summer.

The work will continue through this year and early next year, but the Environment Agency has pledged to implement extra flood defence measures to protect the village this winter.

Harriett commented:

“Naturally I am disappointed of the current delays in building the bund with all sorts of rules and regulations which while well intentioned can be slow and bureaucratic. Flooding tends not to wait for these things which is why I push for progress updates.

“I welcome the pledge to use extra flood defence measures to protect the village because of these unplanned delays to the permanent scheme.

“I want to share the latest news from the Environment Agency to reassure local people that we remain committed to delivering another flood defence scheme for West Worcestershire.

“In April, the Government awarded an extra £750,000 to support this scheme and I continue to keep a close eye on the project management team as work continues throughout this year.”