Witney News - Tackling flood risk in Bridge Street, Witney

Tackling flood risk in Bridge Street, Witney

Oxfordshire County Council and the Environment Agency have pooled their resources to combat a known flood risk in Bridge Street, Witney.

Staff from the council began work this week to remove a bank of silt on the upstream side of the River Windrush and underneath one arch.

The crew will be working in the river to divert the flow slightly and operate the suction tube, while the other one will operate a large recycling machine from the road. The machine will suck the silt up out of the water and into the machine, where it can then be transported to Ardley Pit.

Geoff Bell, Area Flood Risk Manager from the Environment Agency said: “We’ve listened to the concerns of residents along the River Windrush in Witney about this spot and we are very pleased to be working with the council to alleviate this risk.”

The first part of the operation is expected to be completed by 27 June, weather-permitting. The work men will then return in mid-July to do the downstream side.

Gordon Hunt, Drainage Engineer with Oxfordshire County Council, said: “This is a new approach for cleaning silt. It is more complicated from a health and safety perspective because we have men actually working in the river but as long as it’s done carefully and in clear conditions, there should be no problem”.

The expected cost of the project will be approximately £20,000 and will be evenly shared between Oxfordshire County Council and The Environment Agency.