A SUMMIT to discuss the future of a cash-strapped scheme to tackle floods at Severnside South in Bewdley will be held early next month.

The multi-million pound project, which was thrown into disarray last month when the government announced it would be prioritising other projects, will be a key talking point at a meeting of officials on April 11.

Appointees from the Environment Agency and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs will meet to talk about Defra's new system of deciding which areas receive flood-aid.

The new priority scoring system will be introduced on April 1 and is likely to exclude Severnside South from this year's work by the Environment Agency.

Area flood defence manager for the Environment Agency Peter May said: "The meeting should give us a clearer indication of which way the funding will go and where the project will stand. We did not expect the threshold for funding to be so high but we are still doing all we can for the Severnside South project including pressing ahead with planning and design."