A vital step to provide flood protection to the village of Feniton will start at the end of August.

Once completed, the work will reduce the risk of flooding to 65 residential homes and it will reduce disruption to the Primary School and local transport.

Feniton has been affected by flooding for many years, but work will soon commence on the new undertrack rail crossing for a culvert pipe.

The undertrack culvert (known as phase 3) will divert surface water from around the village by linking drainage works. Downstream channel improvements have already been completed.

The Feniton Flood Alleviation Scheme is deigned to reduce the risk of flooding by taking flood water from the north of Feniton, via a culverted pipeline around the village, and back into the stream south of the village. 

The railway crossing work has been planned for a long time. However, it has experienced delays as a result of its high risk and complex nature, as well as funding issues.

However, Network Rail will begin the work imminently and are carrying it out on behalf of East Devon District Council (EDDC). The company are taking advantage of a 5-day railway closure due to work elsewhere on the rail network.

The work will involve building of a works compound and a manhole chamber on either side of the railway. Network Rail will then make use of the railway closure to place the culvert under the railway line.

The work is due to completed by 7 October 2022. 

East Devon District Council and Network Rail hope that the majority of the work is done during working hours. However, due to the limited time frame it could be that from 19 September the work might also need to be done through the night, for up to five days.

There is likely to be vehicular disruption and noise during this period, which Network Rail and EDDC apologise for.

EDDC are asking members of the public not to congregate on the highway bridge next to the works because it is narrow with no footway and there will be increased vehicle movements. Also, both sides of the railway are private property with no public access