HOME owners in a Worcestershire village are thrilled about county council plans to carry out £42,000 of drainage and footpath repair work.

Villagers of Abberley have been waiting for weeks to hear what would be done to improve the drainage system near their homes after it was unable to cope with torrential downpours in September.

Becky Hatchard, of Stockton Road, Abberley, watched her garden start to fill up like a swimming pool over the weekend of September 5-7 because the culvert and drains on the A443 in the village could not cope with the water running off the main road and nearby fields.

The flash flooding also further undermined the ground supporting the footpath outside her home. It was already damaged in the summer floods of 2007.

Now Worcestershire County Council has announced it will be spending £42,000 putting in 18 new gullies and new pipes up to 450mm in diameter to connect the gullies to the drainage system.

The council will also be building a retainer to support the footpath using gabions – wire baskets filled with rock.

County council highways manager Jon Fraser said: “It is about £42,000 of work. It is with the contractors at the moment and the target start date is January 12 next year.

“We have about 800 drainage problem areas we have identified and we are trying to prioritise. Where people’s homes have been flooded are the greatest priority.”

The scheme, which is expected to take six weeks to complete, will also involve resurfacing the footpath and will involve temporary lights to manage the traffic while the road is dug up to install the gullies and pipes.

Builder Roy Winwood, who owns the cottage next to Mrs Hatchard’s, said: “All the plans look brilliant. It is going to be a big job.

“It is brilliant news about the drains in Abberley. They should be commended for the size of the drains they are putting in.”

Mrs Hatchard said: “On the plans it looks like it is going to be fantastic.

“They are going to try and channel some water away before it gets to our house. Hopefully that will do the trick.

“Nothing has been done with these drains for years and years.

“My only concern is that the water will go into the brook at the bottom or our garden and whether the brook will cope.”