Subway flooding defence on cards

A flood-busting scheme costing up to £60,000 will be fitted in a Kidderminster subway which residents claim becomes a "death trap" when it rains.

Engineers at Worcestershire County Council hope to solve flooding by installing a soakway or pipes to pump water out.

Traders in Lower Mill Street say the underpass beneath the junction of Park Butts Ringway and St Mary's Ringway, fills with water.

Shopkeeper Roy Mantle, aged 69, who runs Woolwise in Lower Mill Street said: "When the underpass floods people have to dice with the traffic lights and that concerns me because of the speed of the traffic."

County councillor Nigel Knowles, who represents St Barnabas, said: "It can be a deathtrap when it rains."

County council highways liason officer Dave Hunt said: "We are looking at a number of solutions and considering which one will work best in the underpass."

The work could cost between £20,000 and £60,000, he added.