South West Water is holding a public event for residents to discuss ways of preventing sewer flooding in Aveton Gifford on 9 July.

Analysis by South West Water shows that historic sewer flooding in the South Devon village is largely caused by too much surface water entering the combined sewerage network.

The water company has set up a grant process to help householders divert stormwater away from the sewers. The grants will help residents with roofs or hard-standings which drain to the combined sewer divert their surface water elsewhere, for example, into a soakaway or raingarden.

 Flood Risk Manager Richard Behan commented:

"South West Water is committed to preventing sewer flooding and we want to work with communities to do this in a sustainable way.

"If we can divert even a proportion of stormwater away from the combined system it would relieve pressure on the sewer and, we believe, significantly reduce the risk of sewer flooding in the village and contribute to better water quality in the River Avon."

"Rainwater is a clean, usable source of water which at the moment is literally disappearing down the drain. With a small amount of imaginative landscaping and planting, that water can be used to enhance the environment both in gardens and in public areas."

Gardening and drainage experts will be on hand to explain the process further and help householders identify the best way they could redirect their surface water away from the combined sewer. Successful applications which achieve this aim will be fully paid for under the scheme.

The project is the latest WaterShed project from South West Water, which is aiming to tackle sewer flooding and pollution in a sustainable way at hotspots across the region.