The pot will be presented to the council and heritage society

The �4.2m scheme for Ottery St Mary has taken a year and a half to complete and will be opened by the leader of East Devon District Council.

In 1997 severe flooding damaged 55 properties in the town.

During construction work several archaeological finds were made, including a rare pewter chamber pot dating back to the English Civil War.

Tree planting

The chamber pot will be presented to the town council and the heritage society during the opening ceremony.

The scheme was jointly funded by the South West Flood Defence Committee, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), with a �1m contribution from East Devon District Council.

Adrian Rushworth from the Environment Agency says the new scheme should protect Ottery St Mary from flooding for many years.

"I am delighted at the successful completion of this important scheme," he said.

"I would like to thank local people for their patience when there was unavoidable disruption to the town during construction works."