Nature‑based flood project expanded

A project using nature-based interventions to combat flooding is making good progress, Shropshire Council has said.

Work on the Slow the Flow Natural Flood Management project has begun at Battlefield in Shrewsbury.

It is designed to increase storage capacity during times of flooding and slow water flow in a bid to better protect the Battlefield link road on the outskirts of the town.

"The project team has created an in‑ditch wetland by daylighting a previously covered ditch, restored existing ponds, installed leaky wooden barriers, created scrapes, and introduced cover crops," Sarah Mackness, from Shropshire Wildlife Trust, said.

"These techniques are designed to increase soil infiltration, make use of low‑lying land for temporary water storage, and reduce the speed at which water flows into the river system downstream."

The latest phase has been carried out by Shropshire Wildlife Trust in partnership with the landowner and local farmer.

Robert Jagger said: "My family have been farming here since the 1850s and it's been a wonderful opportunity to work with the Shropshire Wildlife Trust and has made a great improvement to the farm.

"Since the infield wetland has been installed, there are some fields in this area which historically have always flooded - we haven't had any flood problems since then so it has really helped."

The programme is currently in phase two and an earlier phase saw about 1,000 natural flood management measures being delivered, Shropshire Council said.

Councillor Tom Dainty added: "As pressures on the network grow, measures like these will play a bigger role in managing water sustainably and reducing downstream impacts.

"We expect to continue this kind of work across the county as part of long‑term, integrated flood resilience."

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