Extra £75,000 committed to preventing flooding on A358 near Ilminster

An additional £75,000 of public funding has been committed to reducing the risk of flooding on the main road between Chard and Ilminster.

The A358 runs from the northern edge of Chard to the A303 at the Southfields roundabout, crossing over the River Isle at the southern end of Donyatt.

The road has been prone to serious flooding in recent years, rendering it “frustratingly and inconveniently impassable” and resulting in numerous closures and lengthy diversions for local motorists.

Following pressure from Donyatt Parish Council, the Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) committed £100,000 in March to a major scheme to reduce the flood risk on this crucial stretch of road.

The SRA board has now committed an additional £75,000 of “top-up funding” from its annual budget, allowing major improvements to be carried out over the next 18 months.

An average of 12,700 vehicles use this stretch of the A358 every day, according to Somerset Council’s official traffic monitoring figures.

The existing drains along the A358 discharge into the River Isle, which flows north around the western edge of Ilminster and eventually joins the River Parrett near Hambridge.

The A358 scheme brings together numerous different partners, including Somerset Council, Donyatt Parish Council, the Environment Agency (EA), local landowners, and the Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group South West (FWAG SW).

The scheme looks to achieve the following aims:

Improving highway drainage following CCTV drain surveys

Establishing the location and condition of existing drains into the River Isle

Identifying and reinstating “critical drainage assets” on third party land

Improving drainage on Crow Lane to allow surface water run-off to be captured before it reaches the main road

Reviewing the existing road closure process to reduce disruption for motorists

To date, Somerset Council has carried out drain jetting throughout the village and has surveyed the drains between the main road and Church Street, along with the Crow Lane junction and those near the village hall.

Further surveys are required near the outfalls into the River Isle, which are anticipated to be finished before Christmas.

Neil McWilliams, Somerset Council’s operations service manager, provided an update when the request for additional funding came before the SRA board in Taunton on Friday (September 11).

He said in his written report: “FWAG SW have met with the respective adjacent landowners served by Crow Lane. An engineering solution has been agreed, designed and costed.

“The recent highway drain jetting and CCTV, coupled with engineering solutions proposed following FWAG SW engagement with the landowner and parish council, has indicated a need to seek an increase in the grant from £100,000 to £175,000.

“The project is still very much in the investigation phase. Highway drainage surveys and engagement with key stakeholders continue.

“Engineering works to Crow Lane are likely to commence before Christmas 2026, subject to the securing of the top-up funding.

“Drainage repairs, asset upgrades to be undertaken when all surveying has been completed. Remedial works will be coordinated for delivery in the 2027-28 financial year.

The SRA indicated in March that the River Isle will be subject to a “significant vegetation clearance”, with contractors removing silt and debris from the watercourse to ensure larger volumes of water can be carried downstream.

Anthony Betty, who sits on the Parrett Internal Drainage Board, questioned whether this represented a sensible use of SRA funding in light of similar drainage issues being present across Somerset.

He said: “I have some grave concerns about us continuing to spend money on these drainage improvements.

“This is going to happen throughout Somerset. All the drains in the villages around my area are getting filled up with debris.

“The council needs to be more proactive with road sweeping to stop these drains from getting filled up.

“£75,000 is a lot of money. Are we going to have more parishes coming to us to get their drains cleaned because Somerset Council hasn’t got the money to do it?”

Mr McWilliams replied: “We have invested in a far bigger gully programme this year – we are trying to step this up.

“The significance of Donyatt in this case is that the A358 is a strategic route – it serves as the main diversion for the A303.

“The need may well be considerable out there, but we are prioritising this given its strategic nature on the network.”

Councillor Mike Stanton – who stepped down as SRA chairman before this decision was taken – added: “I’ve visited Donyatt, which has been flooded lots of times – it is a complicated situation, and £75,000 seems a reasonable amount of money for the benefit than we’re going to get.

“The sore spot that this all comes back to is the under-funding of Somerset Council over about 15 years – so there isn’t enough money for its highways team to do all these jobs.”

A further update on the Donyatt scheme is expected to come back before the board in early-December.