FOUR roads badly damaged by flash flooding may not reopen until the end of September.

Somerset County Council has been carrying out repairs on six roads in and around Chard following the flash floods which hit the town in late June.

Work on two of the roads has now been completed, with the council clearing gullies and silt traps to prevent any repeat of the flooding.

But a further four remain unopened – and at least one may remain that way until the last week of September.

The council says it has been working “tirelessly” with its contractor Milestone Infrastructure to restore access to the villages around Chard, clearing thousands of tonnes of debris from the affected roads.

Scrapton Lane in Combe St Nicholas reopened on August 6, with 5,600 sq m of material being relaid to repair the mile-long affected stretch five weeks after it was reduced to rubble.

Work to resurface Pudleigh Lane in the neighbouring hamlet of Wadeford was completed the following week.

The four outstanding flood-damaged roads are as follows:
Catchgate Lane, Combe St Nicholas – reopening: August 20
Combe Lane, Whitestaunton – reopening: September 7
Reservoir Road, Combe St Nicholas – reopening: September 17
Holway, Tatworth – reopening: September 24

Councillor John Woodman, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Our thoughts are with those residents and businesses who have been affected by this extreme weather event. We know this has been a an incredibly difficult time.

“I’d like to thank local people for their patience and support – immediately after their roads were destroyed, residents in outlying village were out helping with the clear-up operation and supporting our teams to ensure the repair work could begin.

“Our own teams and those of our contractor, Milestone Infrastructure are doing a great job, working flat out to clear, prepare and resurface roads which had in some places were destroyed beyond repair.

“But we know there is still a great deal more to do across the area in the wake of this extraordinary event and we are continuing to work through the issues with our partners and with the support of local people.”

The council has allocated £750,000 towards the emergency road repairs in Chard, following the receipt of £6.657M additional grant funding from the Department for Transport (DfT).

The remaining funding has been split among other projects within the council’s capital programme – including £1.5M towards improvements between Junction 22 of the M5 and Bristol Airport in conjunction with North Somerset Council.

The council’s flood and water management team is currently conducting an investigation into the flash floods, with a report expected to be published later in the year.

To contribute to the investigation, email flooding@somerset.gov.uk or visit www.somerset.gov.uk/waste-planning-and-land/flooding-information.