A NEW store and equipment to help the local community fight flooding has been set up in Dunster.

The store, in the village centre, has been funded by £3,000 from the Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) to support Dunster’s new flood group.

Equipment includes portable sandbag fillers, sandbags, hi-vis jackets and shovels.

Doug Challoner, acting chairman of Dunster Parish Council and one of five founding members of the Flood Group, said: “This gives us the confidence that we’re ready, we can deal with problems in the future – it’s brilliant.

“If any issues occur, we’ll spring into action in ways that we’ve planned for and I am sure that people will be extremely pleased,”

The funds were channeled to the flood group through the Community Resilience in Somerset Partnership (CRISP), which gives grants of SRA money to Somerset communities for everything from generators and protective clothing to training for local volunteers.

SRA chairman Cllr John Osman said: “I’m very pleased that the SRA and CRISP are backing Dunster Parish Council and the new flood group.

“The store and equipment will help Dunster’s volunteers protect villagers, visitors, homes and businesses.

“Surface water is a problem in parts of Dunster during times of very heavy and prolonged rainfall, and when flooding has occurred it has had a devastating impact on people.”

Nicola Dawson, manager of the Somerset Local Authorities’ civil contingencies unit, said Dunster Parish Council was a great example of how local people can take action and work together to help keep their residents safe.

Pictured: Nicola Dawson of CRISP (centre) with Dunster Parish Council emergency group members, from the left, Geoff Witherford, Alan Vicary, Alan Rigler and Doug Challoner. The flood group’s fifth founding member Alan Blackham could not be present.