A41 bypass drainage work aims to reduce flooding in Albrighton
Drainage work hoping to reduce the risk of flooding along a main road has been completed.
Shropshire Council has recently completed drainage works on the A41 Albrighton bypass, in the hope that it will help mitigate the risk of future flooding in the nearby village.
The council, working closely with the Albrighton Flood Action Group (AFLAG), commissioned partners WSP and Kier to design and construct upgrades to the drainage system between Harriotts Hayes Lane and Station Road.
The work was funded using a grant from the Department for Transport.
Incorporating sustainability and slow-the-flow design measures, the project reinstated the ditch along the northbound verge of the A41 and installed new culverts under Station Road and the entrance to Albrighton Business Park.
The team says it will help capture and divert run-off water from the fields and highway towards Humphreston Brook, north of the Birmingham to Shrewsbury railway line.
In total, the new system will take 1.2million litres (266,000 gallons) of water, with 16 hectares of land drained.
Albrighton councillor, Nigel Lumby, said: “I am pleased Shropshire Council, its highways partners and our AFLAG flood action group have worked hard on this project.
"This forms part but not all of the work undertaken to prevent flooding in Albrighton. This system on the A41 has already been tested twice since it was finished.
"It has provided its worth, with the amount of rain we have had, as demonstrated by the flooding around the country.”
Several diseased ash trees were also removed as part of the work, that had become ridden with the Ash Dieback fungus.
The trunks of the felled trees have been re-purposed to create seven natural check dams to slow the flow of flood water and reduce the risk of flooding to downstream properties in the village.
To replace the diseased trees, 20 native oak trees have been planted along the verge of the A41 along with the installation of bat boxes to improve the natural habitat.
David Corden, Chair of the Albrighton Flood Action Group (AFLAG), said: “When we set up AFLAG in 2018, after the last serious flood, we wanted to make sure the village had a voice and that our concerns about the risk of flooding would be heard and acted upon.
“Completion of the strategically important A41 improvement works is a perfect example of what can be achieved and is the first of several planned projects to mitigate the risk of flooding in our beautiful village.
“We now have strong working relationships with Shropshire Council, our local parish councils and the National Flood Forum and will continue to work with our partners to ensure future work is completed and improved essential maintenance is continued.”
