The barriers will help flood-hit Worcester residents

The news that Worcester City Council has approved the plans has been greeted by flood campaigners as "fantastic" news.

Residents of Hylton Road in the city, which runs along the western side of the Severn and is a major arterial route, will benefit from the scheme which is expected to cost �100,000.

Many homeowners were left devastated after the floods of autumn and winter 2000.

The three-way partnership between the city and county councils and the Environment Agency was approved by the full council on Tuesday.

"Just fantastic"

More than 40 flood-hit residents applauded the council for recommending trials involving an experimental 300-metre pallet barrier system.

The decision was greeted by Mary Dhonau, representing the National Flood Forum and a local resident whose home has been flooded on several occasions, as "fantastic, just fantastic".

The system uses a combination of steel frames, wooden pallets and reinforced plastic membrane to hold back flood waters.

It has already been used successfully on nine separate occasions in Cologne in Germany since 1999 and has also been awarded nine medals and awards throughout Scandinavia and Europe.

The system was also awarded Kitemark recognition in the UK earlier this year.

The scheme will cost around �16,000 for manpower and policing for a 14-day flood defence and is cheaper and cleaner than using traditional sandbag techniques for holding back flood water.