TWO years after devastating floods hit the county, progress is being made on protecting communities from future torrential weather.

On July 20 2007, two months' worth of rain fell within 14 hours, resulting in severe widespread flooding throughout Gloucestershire.

The north of the county was the worst hit but localised flooding occurred as far as Dursley and Berkeley, causing damage to people's homes and creating dangerous driving conditions.

Two years on, Stroud District Council, Gloucestershire County Council, the Environment Agency, Severn Trent and parish and town councils have already spent over £200,000 on a range of initiatives, including engineering projects and flood modelling surveys, which will help the areas that suffered during the floods.

Cllr Stan Waddington, county council cabinet member for the environment, said: "Extra money was raised from last year’s council tax flood levy to address issues across the whole county. The 2007 floods were extreme and described as a 'one-in-one hundred year event' but, in no uncertain terms, they highlighted problems that needed to be addressed."

In Wandswell, near Berkeley, £6,000 has been spent on diverting a culvert into a nearby watercourse, paid for by the county and district council. The culvert was blocked during the 2007 deluge and caused flooding to nearby homes.

As well as specific projects ‘sandless sandbags’, filled with gel, and flood protection gates have been provided for properties most at risk, and Stroud is thought to be the first district in the country to have started up a watercourse warden scheme.

The wardens are members of the public who will work closely with communities and keep an eye on local watercourses.

They identify problems such as fallen trees, general overgrowth of vegetation, lack of maintenance and blocked culverts.

Cllr Libby Bird, cabinet member for climate change for Stroud District Council, said: "Whilst other parts of the county suffered from more-or-less blanket flooding, this district also had many areas which were badly affected. There’s still more work to do, but the district is now much more resilient to flooding."