Farmers are being urged not to grow maize in a bid to stop future flooding in and around Ilminster.

The town of Ilminster and the nearby village of Sea were severely affected by flooding on October 20, 2021, with torrential rail causing the River Isle to rise and overwhelming the surface water drainage systems in the area, writes Local Democracy Reporter Daniel Mumby.

Following the floods, the Somerset County Council – which is the lead local flood authority – commissioned an official report to identify the causes of the flooding and make recommendations on how a repeat can be avoided.

A detailed draft of this report (known as a Section 19 report) has put forward a series of recommendations to prevent a repeat of these events – including persuading farmers to grow different crops and ensuring gullies are more frequently cleared.

The flooding was concentrated into two main areas of Ilminster – the B3168 Station Road near the River Isle to the west (including the residential park homes at Holway House Park and Home Farm Park)  and the residential streets near the Shudrick Stream in the east, including Ditton Street, North Street and Shudrick Lane.

The draft report identifies that the flooding was caused by a combination of “very high” rainfall, already wet ground conditions (following an unusually wet October) and the “relative impermeability” of the town’s soils and geology, making it difficult for water to drain away.

At least 50 properties within Ilminster were reported as being flooded during the event, along with around six in Sea and at least one each in Dowlish Ford and Dowlish Wake.

READ NEXT: Taunton abattoir hit with massive fine for food safety and hygiene breaches

The draft report makes the following recommendations to prevent future flooding in and around the town:

  • Develop a flood resilience plan and a local resilience group
  • Liaise with the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) and local farmers to discuss whether maize-growing in the area can be replaced with “more benign crops or growing methods”
  • Develop natural flood management scheme for the Shudrick valley and the River Isle catchment area
  • Educate local landowners through the Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) about their riparian responsibilities (i.e. the need to keep watercourses which pass through their land unobstructed)
  • Review emergency plans to ensure different agencies are coordinated in their response, including the district council’s homelessness team
  • Audit gully cleaning contractors to “ensure the job is being done correctly, and see if improvements can be made”
  • Work with Western Power Distribution to prioritise getting vulnerable people’s electricity reconnected after a flood event
  • Carry out new modelling on the River Isle and Shudrick Stream to better predict flooding patterns, as well as the path of Ilminster’s former canal
  • Consider changes to local planning policy, insisting on higher standards for new housing and a “policy of betterment” for existing watercourses

Residents wishing to make further contributions to the final report should email LLFA@somerset.gov.uk by November 18.