A "natural flood management scheme" being developed on West Somerset streams by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust charity over the past three years and claimed to reduce flood risk, is "just tinkering with the problem" a local MP said this week.

The project, involving ponds, dams and tree-planting, which has the support of local landowners, claims to have delivered natural flood management measures across 27 different areas around streams in Monksilver and Doniford and has helped reduce the flood risk across West Somerset.

A WWT spokesman said: "Natural flood management works with the landscape to hold more water and slow its flow downstream also creating wildlife habitat. We’re working to bring back natural features which have been lost or replaced over time.

"Features such as wetlands, tree-planting and woody dams can hold water in the landscape, reducing the risk of flooding."

The spokesman said that over the next year, WWT aimed to establish key action flood groups in the areas of Sampford Brett, Elworthy, Stogumber and Bicknoller and offer communities the opportunities to attend workshops about natural flood management.

He added that the last three years "have been a great success," resulting in 27 delivered solutions with a further eight in development, building 80m of elevated hedge bank, planting a total of 3,668 hardwood trees on 15 sites, erecting 1091m of livestock fencing and building 20 cross drains.

The project would deliver interventions to at least eight sites to slow the flow of water into Doniford and Monksilver streams "bringing enhanced benefits for nature and people."

The charity now wanted to create 100,000 hectares of new wetlands across the country and has already raised £800,000 through its Christmas appeal to help fund the work.

But MP Ian Liddell-Grainger said this week that such schemes would not provide anything more than partial protection against a heightened flood risk in West Somerset and that people were being persuaded to donate to a programme of works which at best would bring only minimal improvements.

"Given the way weather patterns are changing as the planet warms up, tinkering around with schemes such as this is really not going to make a scrap of difference," he said.

"As scientists predicted entirely accurately, we are now in an era where we shall see heavier and more localised rainfall, which is why flooding problems are cropping up in all kinds of places where historically there have rarely, if ever, been any.

"It is clear from its situation at the confluence of two streams draining from high ground, Williton is facing a heightened flood risk. But when the rains arrive, as they certainly will, I do not believe these mitigation schemes will save a single house from flooding.

"And the more Somerset West and Taunton council continues merrily dishing out planning consents for building on flood plains in and around Williton, the more home-owners shall have to live under the constant threat of serious inundation.

"We have to stop throwing up new homes on vulnerable sites and we have to start looking to put in place sensible, practical hard defences to protect existing properties - however much it costs."