SINCE the Easter floods of 1998 swept through the Vale Wychavon District Council has been working to reduce the chances of a similar disaster happening again.

In a month when the Boscastle catastrophe in Cornwall and other incidents across Britain have provided stark reminders of the terrifying power of floodwater, a scheme instigated throughout the district is now nearing completion.

Wychavon first spent £50,000 researching the flooding risks in the area then £750,000 was earmarked for 18 flood prevention projects across the district, including in Peopleton, Broadway, Charlton and Wyre Piddle.

Today the council has only two of these 18 schemes left to complete, at Hawbridge, near Drakes Broughton, and in the Littletons.

At Hawbridge, for example, a by pass channel has been created to stop floodwater building up in the village. Work on the final stage of the project is expected to be completed next spring.

As the end of this first wave of projects draws near, the council has now allocated another £50,000 towards the feasibility of a further nine schemes, the details of which are still being finalised.

Another response to the flooding, which struck on the Thursday before Good Friday six years ago, was to get tough on landowners who had allowed drains and other watercourses to become blocked. In the two years after the deluge the council took action against 170 people who were told to clean up, with an average of 30 a year facing enforcement action ever since.

Tony Jones, engineering consultancy manager at Wychavon, said that although the floods of 1998 were an "exceptional event", the council was not taking any chances.

Since that time the council has employed five people in his department, two of them full-time on flood alleviation work. "Sixty of the 91 parishes in Wychavon were affected in that incident so we had to look closely at how we could improve matters. Following research we came out with a list of locations and a list of whose responsibility any work would be." Even though some of the projects could have been delegated to other bodies with responsibility for flooding matters, such as the highways department, the Environment Agency or the water companies, Wychavon decided they should take them on regardless. "We are keen to work with any organisation to bring about a reduction in the risk of flooding," added Mr Jones.

His department also offers free advice to residents on flooding matters and vets all planning applications alongside experts from the environment agency to try to avoid problems in the future.

Meanwhile Vale residents are being called on to do their bit. Councillor Don Lawley, Wychavon executive member with responsibility for the environment, said people should always report any problems they experience or witness. "It cannot all be left to the council, we need people to let us know about problems so we can do something to put things right."