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The first thing you see when you come to the village of Ham, to the east of Taunton, is a commemorative stone marking the completion of its flood defence. And no wonder – some 30 properties on the south bank of the river have been flooded repeatedly in the last half century.
The Environment Agency works on the floodplain of the River Tone to protect Ham involved rebuilding and improving deteriorating flood defences dating from 1967. Working with the Ham Village Flood Committee and the Wessex Regional Flood Defence Committee, a local levy was used to fund the flood defences.
The first phase focused on the western side of the village. The road ramp was raised and improvements made to river front defences. The second phase dealt with the eastern side, and included replacing the defence at Ham Wharf House, which was beyond repair. A small, packaged pumping station was installed to relieve flooding, where the gravity drainage system prevented water from discharging during high river levels.
"This Somerset village sits in a flood plain. The flood defence scheme has delighted its residents who have suffered 11 floods over the last 50 years."