SOMERSET Rivers Authority has funded work to clear a thickly overgrown brook in Carhampton and cut flood risk in the village and along the A39.

The project tackled neglected sections of watercourse owned by the Crown Estate between Chris’s Crackers Junk Shop and Carhampton Recreation Centre to improve the channel’s capacity for carrying water.

Cllr John Osman, Chairman of Somerset Rivers Authority, said: “The A39 through Carhampton floods regularly and several properties in the village are at risk of flooding, so the SRA and its partners are determined to make improvements.

“Together we’re looking at brooks, streams, farms, fields, roads, culverts, drains, and new housing.

“Bit by bit, we’re chipping away at the problem, to benefit local people, businesses, and visitors going to and from Dunster, Minehead and Exmoor.”

The channel clearance work was organised and managed for the SRA by the Environment Agency, supported by Somerset County Council, with Quantock and Exmoor Tree Care duo Rob Bruce, who has lived in Carhampton all his life, and Wes Hopwood, who lives in Washford, sub-contracting for Ground Control.