Raising main road from Bridgnorth to Telford could stop flooding, claims Shropshire councillor
Raising the main road from Bridgnorth to Telford by one metre could alleviate flooding issues, a Shropshire councillor has said.
Councillor William Parr was speaking in response to the government's budget announcement to pledge £1 million to the Bridgnorth Flood Alleviation Scheme.
But Councillor Parr, who represents Bridgnorth East and Astley Abbotts on Shropshire Council, said this was "nowhere near enough".
He added that raising the A442 near the Bandon Arms in Bridgnorth could stop the road from closing during severe floods, forcing motorists travelling to and from Telford to find alternative routes.
Councillor Parr said while the effects flooding had on residents and businesses were "enormous", other areas such as Ironbridge had been the main focus of potential resources.
"I just don't think it's enough money. As Shropshire Councillor for the area I welcome any funding that will protect Bridgnorth from floods, but the £1 million which is on offer, I can only imagine would not be enough," he said.
"Other towns have been offered in excess of £12 million for flood defences which is disproportionate and we should have our fair share of funding in Bridgnorth."
He added: "There are issues such as the main road running from Bridgnorth to Telford being flooded and causing considerable delays, diversions and problems – the issues this creates for Bridgnorth are enormous.
"We need the road to be raised to prevent it from flooding in the future, but it's about having the money to do these things.
"It's important that we support our local residents and businesses as much as possible and I know that our highways department are providing skips and wheelie bins to help with the clean up, but we need to keep the pressure on and apply for more funding – it's about having the money to raise the road by a metre."
The latest development comes after Ludlow MP Philip Dunne raised the issue of flooding in Bridgnorth and Ludlow in the House of Commons.
Mr Dunne said additional funding was needed to help alleviate future flooding in both towns.
It follows some of the worst flooding in Bridgnorth for decades.
The River Severn hit its first peak in the town at 5.04 metres on February 18, before reaching 5.2m on February 26.
