GOVERNMENT grants for sea defence and flood prevention schemes in West Somerset could be axed in 18 months' time.

The decision was based on the district council becoming a 'debt-free' authority following the £25 million sale last year of its council homes.

Now, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has said it would be unlikely to help fund flood works in the area after March 31, 2001.

Council technical projects officer Kelvin Rufus said MAFF grant aid had been an important part of previous schemes, such as Minehead's new sea wall.

Mr Rufus said: "A decision by MAFF to cease grant aiding schemes would have a serious impact on the council."

He said MAFF had indicated but not yet confirmed the council would no longer be eligible to apply for grants after the 2000-01 financial year.

In the meantime, councillors were left with a race against time if they wanted to carry out flood alleviation schemes in Carhampton and Woolston Moor.

An overall scheme for Carhampton would cost around £150,000, of which £60,000 could fall on the authority if MAFF agreed a 60 per cent contribution.

A provisional estimate of work needed in Woolston Moor was £50,000, with £22,000 to be met by the council after a 60 per cent MAFF grant.

Mr Rufus told members of the council's cabinet he had already requested the grants because MAFF's deadline for funding applications for 2000-01 was September 30 this year.

He said both villages suffered serious flooding during last winter and were vulnerable to further potentially serious incidents because of inadequate land drainage.

Carhampton experienced five flooding incidents last winter, while Woolston Moor was reported to have had 16 such incidents in the past eight years.

Mr Rufus said: "The incidents have resulted in property and highway flooding with damage occurring to property, fabric, furniture and fittings.

"Property owners are concerned and see the approach of another winter together with the perceived increase in exceptional rainfall events (greenhouse effect) as a threat."

Mr Rufus said although the authority did not have responsibility for the watercourses which were the source of problems for the two villages, it did have powers it could exercise.

The council was able to promote land drainage schemes and for the moment could still apply for MAFF grant aid.

Mr Rufus said parish councillors in Carhampton and Withycombe were formally consulted gave their support to a proposed solution for their area.

Woolston Moor residents and Bicknoller parish councillors had so far only been informally consulted.

Negotiations would have to take place with Somerset County Council and the parish councils to secure financial contributions.

Mr Rufus said it was anticipated the main Carhampton scheme would not be undertaken immediately.

He therefore proposed a set of short-term measures which required riparian owners to carry out work as well as the parish, district and county authorities.

The district council's responsibility related to watercourse clearance and other work which could be accommodated within its land drainage maintenance budget.

Mr Rufus said to progress the scheme the council would need to carry out further investigations and prepare full design and construction drawings and specifications followed by tendering and supervision of construction at a cost of around £15,000.

Although the problems in Woolston Moor had been examined, a proposed solution had not yet been produced for consultation.

It was intended the document would be ready before the end of December.

The main problem in the village was a shallow watercourse which approached a culvert running through the community and which overtopped in heavy rainfall, causing flooding of the road and low-lying properties.

Mr Rufus said an outline proposal was to form penning weirs upstream of the culvert together with a storage lagoon.

The lagoon could be moved away from the village to the north side of the West Somerset Railway line.

Watercourse banks would also need building up on the approach to the culvert, a head wall would have to be constructed at the culvert entrance and a grille and highways gullies provided.

Full design, specification, tender and site supervision costs were estimated at £5,000.

Mr Rufus recommended both schemes should be progressed through the investigation and design stage to a point where MAFF's decision on grant aid was known.

He said councillors also needed to look at making a provision in their draft capital budget for the year.

The cabinet agreed to carry out formal consultations in Woolston Moor and to go ahead with the necessary investigation and design work in both villages.

Councillors also agreed to start negotiating financial contributions from the parish and county authorities and to include money in their own draft capital budget.

They also asked Mr Rufus to report back to the cabinet once he had updated costings for the two projects and an indication from MAFF of any grant aid.