Bid submitted for flood defences

Thousands of pounds of damage was caused by floods

A bid has been launched to protect a Lincolnshire town with a £7m flood prevention scheme.

The Environment Agency revealed at a public meeting in Louth it wants to create two storage reservoirs to stop a repeat of last summer's flooding.

About 120 properties in the town were damaged last year after heavy rain led to the River Lud bursting its banks.

But the agency warned the bid, along with a similar project in Horncastle, faced competition for government cash.

In the wake of the floods, some residents said the Environment Agency should have done more to dredge the Lud, allowing water to flow more freely.

Safe capacity

At Thursday's meeting, it said it had removed more than 2,000 tonnes of debris from the river and was monitoring its condition.

The agency also said studies had indicated the best protection for the town would come from tanks to store extra rainfall.

Flood risk manager with the agency, Ian Russell, said: "The scheme would really make a major difference to Louth.

"We are talking about a scheme which could save the town from the devastation that it suffered last summer.

"We know what the safe capacity of the river is and this scheme would make sure that safe amount is only what comes through the town."