The Environment Agency has celebrated the successful completion of the new Great Shefford flood alleviation scheme. The £5.2 million project was finished in June this year, better protecting 26 local properties against flooding from the nearby Great Shefford Stream.
The scheme works by diverting water around the village along a specially constructed 1km diversion channel. It has a ‘passive’ design, so it doesn’t need to be manually operated. This new waterway is a mix of underground pipeline, rectangular culverts and an open channel section with a backwater at is confluence with the Lambourn. This channel provides significant environmental enhancement, ensuring the project achieves biodiversity net gain.
Anna Burns, Thames area director for the Environment Agency, said
We are delighted that the Great Shefford flood scheme was completed in the summer. The village has been badly affected in the past by property flooding, and we hope the scheme allows residents better peace of mind should we be facing heavy rains in the months ahead.
Support from partners was critical to the successful delivery of the scheme. The Great Shefford flood alleviation association raised £80,000, which was instrumental in securing wider funding. The local community provided ongoing support throughout construction and West Berkshire Council worked collaboratively through the planning process to ensure the Environment Agency could complete the project.
Nick Voysey, Great Shefford resident and secretariat of the Lambourn Valley Flood Forum said
The completion of this scheme will not only be of huge benefit to those residents of Great Shefford who have suffered in the past from repeated flooding of their properties, with all the trauma and distress that involves, but it will also be of very significant benefit to the wider community.
The project, completed by the Environment Agency, will hopefully prove to be of great value to the Lambourn Valley for many years, as we all have to learn to deal with the effects of climate change affecting our lives
Everyone should know their flood-risk and get for free flood warnings by going to https//www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk or calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188. The @envagencyse account on Twitter, now known as X, regularly posts about important flood updates.
Background
- Construction works commenced in May 2024. Construction was undertaken by BAM and supported by their designers Stantec. Management of the construction contract was undertaken by Advantage RSK, together with Binnies. Mott Macdonald provided site supervision and environmental clerk of works oversight. Jacobs were previously involved having undertaken the appraisal work.
- The Environment Agency has a strong track record on flood defence our new flood defences meant over 400,000 properties were better protected between 2015-2024.
- In February 2025, government announced funding of £2.65 billion towards flood and coastal risk management, with a 2-year (2024/25 and 2025/26) target of 52,000 properties better protected
- Between April 2024 and March 2025, we worked with other risk management authorities, such as local councils and Internal Drainage Boards, to better protect 27,543 properties from flooding and coastal erosion across 145 schemes.
- These projects better protected people and properties from
- sea and tidal flooding – 14,968 properties from 30 projects
- river flooding – 6,849 properties from 73 projects
- surface water flooding – 1,254 properties from 35 projects
- coastal erosion – 4,472 properties from 7 projects
Journalists only 0800 141 2743 or communications_se@environment-agency.gov.uk.
