West Worcestershire MP Dame Harriett Baldwin has repeated her commitment to press for the permanent flood defence scheme for Tenbury Wells and offered her support as the Environment Agency seeks additional funding.

Storm Bert resulted in extremely high rain water massing in both the Kyre brook and the river Teme resulting in a serious flood event and the collapse of a wall in Market Street.

A permanent flood defence scheme is currently being developed by the Environment Agency which includes flood gates, bunds and new walls throughout the town and the collapsed wall would have formed part of the wider proposed design.

The scheme’s costs have risen since it was first approved by the Government to progress in 2020 and the Environment Agency is looking to identify additional sources of cash to bridge the funding gap.  The scheme’s economic benefits have also risen significantly but the scheme is still complicated.

Dame Harriett said:

“It is terrible to see the damage caused by the collapse of the Market Street wall and I understand that the police are investigating the reports of a tractor driving through flood water and potentially exacerbating the amount of damage to people’s homes and shops.

“I’ve kept in close contact with the emergency response team and offered my help as necessary to make sure people get access to the right support.

“I’ve also been in touch with County Councillor David Chambers who has been on the ground assessing the damage and I am hopeful that this is as an opportunity to re-build the wall to a much higher standard.

“Tenbury has been in the news, again, and for all the wrong reasons and I really hope that the scenes will encourage the senior leadership at the Environment Agency and the Government to lift the permanent scheme up their priority list and make sure cash is available to get a scheme approved and spades in the ground.”