WORK has started on a Kidderminster flood-prevention scheme to protect 129 properties.

The flood-defence project on the River Stour will involve a storage reservoir upstream of Crossley Retail Park.

Serious flooding occurred in Kidderminster town centre in 1946 and 1955. work is well under way on the Kidderminster flood prevention scheme.

A hydraulic model has identified 129 properties would be affected by flooding in the town centre.

The Environment Agency has warned people to stay away from the construction site for their own safety.

The area, which extends up to Wolverley Road, running adjacent to the canal to the east and up to Beaulieu Close to the west, is popular with dog walkers.

Environment Agency project manager Emma Smailes said: "This scheme has many benefits for Kidderminster.

"It will protect people from flooding and, in the long term, will play a part in plans for a new country park.

"The agency regrets any temporary inconvenience during the building work, especially to those who will not be able to use the area for recreation for a while."

The main part of the work is the construction of an earth embankment and a control structure, which will restrict the flow of floodwater downstream.

English Nature has approved the storage option because it would enable the groundwater to be raised on the Puxton and Stourvale marshes - sites of special scientific interest which are thought to be drying out.

The reservoir also supports plans to create a new recreational area - Stourvale Country Park.

The flood alleviation scheme is expected to finish by the end of this year.