Environment Agency Work in Tenbury

It seems the Toilet Block is really still there and only the wall is missing!

(Environment Agency Press Release - 2/10/2007)
An Environment Agency workforce is clearing a two mile stretch of clogged waterway on the Kyre Brook at Tenbury Wells. They have been tasked with removing a tangle of trees, bushes and general debris, as well as securing parts of the embankment from sliding into the water. All of it is the legacy of a rain-soaked summer.

The brook runs through the top end of Tenbury and joins the River Teme downstream of the town.

Tenbury Wells suffered severe flooding on three occasions, bringing misery and disruption to large parts of the town. Now, work is underway to fully restore Kyre Brook, a tributary of the River Teme, to its former self.

But the summer deluge proved too much on three separate occasions, with torrential downpours bringing down trees along the bank of the stream, which had swollen into a fast moving torrent. It was this debris which quickly choked the stream, making it the first to flood parts of the town.

As well as tons of debris, whole trees have had to be removed and others felled along its banks to prevent the danger of some stretches sliding into the water under their weight.

The team is now into it’s fifth week and it will probably take another two week’s work to finish the job.

They will not be clearing the area by the wall adjacent to the Market Street toilet block, where the remains of the collapsed wall still support the footpath. We are working on plans to replace the wall, in conjunction with local authorities, and debris will be removed as part of the construction process.

Area Flood Risk Manager, Anthony Perry, says “This is all part of our work to get things back to normal after what was one of the worst flood events in modern history. Trees and debris swept down by the floodwater cause blockages and increase the risk of future flooding if they are not removed. With winter on its way, we have a team working hard to reduce the risks of flooding in Tenbury should another flood event occur."

The work at Tenbury is part of an ongoing county-wide programme to clear and prepare flood-hit watercourses for the winter