Work to start on £2 million Staffordshire flood defences
Work on a multi-million pound flood defence scheme to protect hundreds of homes and businesses is set to start tomorrow.
The £2 million Rugeley flood defence project will involve building a 1,082 ft long and nine ft high embankment along Western Springs Road.
The embankment will border Hagley playing fields, which would be out of use for the six months it takes to build the flood defences.
It is expected that normal use of the playing fields will resume after the work is finished.
The Environment Agency is keen to get the work off the ground as it estimates that a severe flood could cause £6m worth of damage in the town.
This is on top of transport disruption due to the potential closure of the A51 and the bus and fire stations being put at risk because of their location.
The Environment Agency, who is leading the scheme in conjunction with Cannock Chase District Council and Staffordshire County Council, say the scheme will protect 114 existing homes and 159 commercial properties.
The move has been estimated to create 330 jobs because of the attraction of new businesses to the town.
Rugeley Councillor Alan Dudson has praised the 'good scheme' and called for the work to be completed as soon as possible.
He said: "It is a good scheme for the town because if the money had not been spent on Rugeley then it would have been spent elsewhere in the country.
"It is good for the people of Rugeley so lets get on with it and get it built.
"They could have waited to start the work until after Christmas but I suppose this could just be getting everything ready for the new year."
Four years ago the town flooded and businesses were left with thousands of pounds worth of damage.
A few months later in the same year, 2012, a dramatic rescue of sheep took place as the field they were in flooded.