Farmers are being urged not to grow maize in a bid to stop future flooding in and around Ilminster.

Ilminster and the nearby village of Sea were severely affected by flooding on October 20, 2021. Torrential rail caused the River Isle to rise and overwhelmed surface water drainage systems in the area.

Following the floods, Somerset County Council commissioned a report to identify the causes of the flooding and make recommendations on how to prevent it in future.

A detailed draft of this report has put forward a series of recommendations. These include persuading farmers to grow different crops and ensuring gullies are more frequently cleared.

The flooding was concentrated into two main areas of Ilminster; the B3168 Station Road near the River Isle to the west and the residential streets near the Shudrick Stream in the east, including Ditton Street, North Street and Shudrick Lane.

Chard & Ilminster News: Floodwater on Walnut Close at the end of Shudrick Lane in Ilminster, pictured in October 2021 Floodwater on Walnut Close at the end of Shudrick Lane in Ilminster, pictured in October 2021 (Image: Somerset County Council)

The draft report identifies that the flooding was caused by a combination of “very high” rainfall, already wet ground conditions and the “relative impermeability” of the town’s soils and geology, making it difficult for water to drain away.

At least 50 properties within Ilminster were reported as being flooded during the event, along with around six in Sea and at least one each in Dowlish Ford and Dowlish Wake.

The draft report makes the following recommendations to prevent future flooding in and around the town:

  • Develop a flood resilience plan and a local resilience group
  • Liaise with the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) and local farmers to discuss whether maize-growing in the area can be replaced with “more benign crops or growing methods”
  • Develop a natural flood management scheme for the Shudrick valley and the River Isle catchment area
  • Educate local landowners through the Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) about their riparian responsibilities (i.e. the need to keep watercourses which pass through their land unobstructed)
  • Review emergency plans to ensure different agencies are coordinated in their response, including the district council’s homelessness team
  • Audit gully cleaning contractors to “ensure the job is being done correctly, and see if improvements can be made”
  • Work with Western Power Distribution to prioritise getting vulnerable people’s electricity reconnected after a flood event
  • Carry out new modelling on the River Isle and Shudrick Stream to better predict flooding patterns, as well as the path of Ilminster’s former canal
  • Consider changes to local planning policy, insisting on higher standards for new housing and a “policy of betterment” for existing watercourses