NEWENT will benefit from Gloucestershire County Council’s announcement of additional funding for flood protection across the county.

Gloucestershire County Council will be allocating £1.3m for 16 flood alleviation schemes across the county.

The works are expected to be finished in this financial year, by the end of March, 2015.

Newent is one of four areas in the Forest of Dean that have been identified to receive the benefit of the flood alleviation funding, and work for the town will take place in Watery Lane.

The plan is to hold water back here on the available flood plains, to stop it flowing into town.

Flooding was particularly bad in and around Newent during the very wet summer of 2007.

Newent Town Council identified Watery Lane then as a particular problem, especially a narrow culvert in that area.

It is hope that engineering work here will alleviate further problems.