Archive for category: News

Briefing Note 24-14, Launch of the third Solar Together scheme in Wiltshire and Swindon outlines the latest Solar Together scheme which facilitates solar panel installations at competitive prices, how residents can get involved, and the benefits of the scheme to Wiltshire.

The following is from the latest Town and Parish Council update from Wiltshire Council.

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Following one of the wettest winters on record, there has been an increase in flooding incidents around the county. While some of these cannot be prevented following the huge volume of rain we have faced, many flooding incidents on highways and other areas can be prevented with good maintenance from the landowner.

Most ditches and minor watercourses in Wiltshire are the responsibility of the ‘riparian landowner’, which is the person who owns the land on either side of the watercourse. The landowner has both the rights and responsibilities for the ditches, or other watercourses flowing through or alongside their property.

We recommend that landowners have a plan for their property, with detailed information on the watercourses, so that areas of high risk can be identified, and appropriate maintenance work can be planned. It is at the benefit of all landowners to maintain their watercourses to prevent issues occurring in other areas. If a landowner’s watercourse is likely to cause issues upstream, maintenance will need to be carried out immediately.

Many spring-fed ditches will have water flowing through them throughout the year, and if water is being held above the designed ditch depth, this will require immediate attention, as the landowner will need to ensure that the ditch’s capacity is maximised. While water may still flow through the ditch during heavy rainfall, even a flowing ditch will struggle if not regularly cleared.

Piped highway drainage and private drainage will discharge into watercourses, and these pipes should be above the water line, and above the base of the watercourse. If this is not occurring when inspected by the council, work may be needed to ensure that the drainage is running freely. Another indication that maintenance is required is if the depth of the ditch is above the culvert base.

To undertake work to a watercourse, for example, a pond, lake, or diversion, planning permission may be required, and the landowner will need to check the permission to ensure they are compliant with the design, maintenance, and other such requirements.

Landowners should regularly inspect their watercourses and have a maintenance plan in place, as they are responsible for surface water and soakaways once it crosses the property boundary.

See below communication from Wiltshire Council about Defra’s Property Flood Resilience Repair Grant Scheme.

As you may know, Wiltshire experienced 3 named storms, over 100 communities affected, 300+ properties internally flooded and, until very recently, we were unfortunately still experiencing flooding events.

We apologies for not getting around to all communities affected, unfortunately with the storm events and continuous flooding issues we have not been able to get around to all areas affected.

We would like to thank those who have provided information on the flooding events and for your patience whilst we process the PFR Grant Scheme.

A good number of cluster sites have been prepared for the surveyors to visit, information will be shared with them shortly and details of visits will be agreed. We do not currently have provisional dates to share.

If you have already completed a survey, undertaken by a suitably qualified survey, please send the report with all supporting information to

Records of the flooding events are still being received and data collated, any additional information, photos and video can be emailed to the address above.

Further information on the OFWG can be found on our website: Operational flood working groups – Wiltshire Council