THE Environment Agency is set to spend £450,000 repairing a flood wall in Hereford which was damaged in extreme flooding in February.

The three named storms earlier this year - Storm Ciara, Dennis and Jorge - caused extensive disruption and severe impacts, and the Environment Agency said 166 properties were flooded in the city.

With ground already sodden from last autumn's heavy rains and floods, the area quickly became flooded, with many rivers reaching some of the highest levels ever seen, including the Wye which reached the highest level ever recorded in Hereford.

Despite, flood defences were said to have protected 201 properties in Hereford, including 165 residential and 36 businesses, which otherwise would have flooded.

As part of an £8million flood recovery programme to repair flood defences in the Environment Agency's West Midlands area, £450,000 will be spent to repair the Hereford flood wall.

The riverside flood wall, opposite The Left Bank, is a key part of the flood protection for the town and scaffolding is now in place so the extent of the damage to the brick cladding can be surveyed before repair work can begin.

Hereford Times:

Richard Henderson, asset recovery manager for the Environment Agency, said: "This is a significant project to repair an area of the cladding on the Hereford flood wall.

"It poses quite a challenging project for our contractors to reach the damage, hence the need to erect the scaffolding. However, there is no damage to the core of the wall.

"Repairing this flood defence asset will help to strengthen the flood wall and make a big difference to reducing the risk of flooding to the local area.

"The sheer volume of water in rivers in the February floods put pressure on many of our flood defences. Since then, where possible, and, whilst adhering to government guidance, our teams have been inspecting defences to check for any damage and the need for any repairs, so that we can ensure they are ready for any future floods.

"We have also used drone footage to help with the process."