Albrighton bypass drainage works completed to mitigate future flooding risk
Ben Collins, Kier; Joan Cockburn and David Corden, members of the Flood Action Group; Joel McHale, WSP; Cllr Nigel Lumby; Ben Corfield, WSP.
Shropshire Council has recently completed vital drainage works on the A41 Albrighton bypass, that will help mitigate the risk of future flooding in the 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.
These will help capture and divert run-off water from the fields and highway towards Humphreston Brook, north of the Birmingham to Shrewsbury railway line, where water would naturally attenuate.
In total, the new storage system will take 1.2million litres (266,000 gallons) of water, with 16 hectares of land drained.
Dan Morris, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways, said:
“We are very pleased to have received the grant to help alleviate flooding. We are also grateful to all the partners who have worked together to achieve a successful outcome.”
Nigel Lumby, local Shropshire Councillor for Albrighton, 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.”
As part of the works and to ensure the safety of road users along the A41, several Ash trees, which had become diseased due to the Ash Dieback fungus, were removed.
This was carried out in accordance with national policies on habitat preservation and with specialist advice from ecologists and arboriculturists.
The trunks of the felled trees have been repurposed to create seven natural check dams, in order 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.”
