Permanent flood defences under consideration for Ironbridge
Permanent flood defences are being considered for Ironbridge to prevent the town's barriers being overwhelmed as they were last year.
The Environment Agency has confirmed it is looking at permanent measures that could be used to protect the town.
Currently there are temporary flood barriers which are deployed on the town's historic wharfage to protect properties as the level of the River Severn rises.
The defences coped with the river level during Storm Christoph last month, but they did fail during flooding last year.
During extensive flooding in February 2020 the defences buckled under the weight of the water, and gouged marks out of the road surface as they were pushed back.
Homes were also evacuated by the emergency services as they feared for people's safety.
Telford & Wrekin Council has been pressing for improved permanent defences, and the Environment Agency has now confirmed it is examining the possibility.
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: "In Ironbridge, the Environment Agency is assessing the potential for a permanent flood risk management scheme.
"In the meantime temporary defences will continue to be deployed, working in partnership with both Telford and Wrekin Council and Severn Trent Water, providing continued protection to properties along the wharfage as they did successfully during Storm Christoph."
Ironbridge Councillor Carolyn Healy, also the authority's cabinet member for cabinet member for Visitor Economy, Historic & Natural Environment and Climate Change, said she welcomed the confirmation.
She also said it was important to stress that proposals being considered are not 'a wall' being constructed on the wharfage, and rather fittings that would allow defences to be put in place when required – similar to those used at Frankwell in Shrewsbury.
She said: "We are really pleased the Environment Agency are actually looking at it to understand the feasibility of a different solution to protect the central part of Ironbridge, and hopefully in a way that does not leave so much disruption.
"The current system means we have to close roads and send pedestrians to walk around a diversion which is a real challenge."
She added: "The kind of thing we are potentially looking at would need to be dug down into the ground behind the wharfage, which is a listed structure.
"That all makes it potentially complicated but the starting point is to understand what is possible and that is the stage we are at with the Environment Agency."
Councillor Healy said they were also working to get more protection for other areas, such as Jackfield.
She said: "We are continuing to work with the Environment Agency for those other areas to have some form of protection and it maybe, because of the nature of some of those areas like Jackfield, that it may be about protecting individual properties."
Councillor Healy said they were in discussions with the National Flood Forum about the situation, and that some of the flooded homes are eligible for support from the flood resilience fund.
