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^1.5m anti-flood project on Flax Bourton railway

More than ^1 million is to be spent on improving drainage on the railway at Flax Bourton to prevent further flooding on the tracks.

The village is one of 10 locations across the UK to receive a slice of ^31 million in Government funding from the Department for Transport for a 'rail resilience project' to protect areas most at risk of flooding.

The work ^ costing ^1.5 million ^ will be carried out by Network Rail and is due to start next month.

It will involve improvement work to the embankment, which has slipped in places due to the wet weather, and the railway cutting. The work is expected to take 16 weeks.

In the past the railway line has been left underwater during heavy rain, disrupting services. A handful of houses in the village have also been flooded by large amounts of water coming off the hillside.

A sump drainage system was installed under the railway line a number of years ago to take water from the hillside underneath the railway line and out to the River Yeo.

In the past water has come off the hillside, across the A370 and into Church Lane, causing flooding.

Motorists are often left battling through water on the A370 through the village during heavy rain.

It is hoped that as well as keeping water off the railway line, the work will also help disperse run off water affecting the village. North Somerset Council has also carried out some engineering work in the area, modifying culverts, to help with draining away the water more efficiently.