Council targets flooding hotspots as storm season approaches
Powys County Council is pressing ahead with its latest ditch-clearing and drainage programme, targeting areas where blocked drains and standing water have caused problems for motorists.
The work follows a major programme during 2025/26, which saw more than 174 kilometres of roadside ditches cleared and almost 180 kilometres of verges cut back to improve drainage.
Crews also reopened more than 11,000 drainage channels to help water flow off roads and emptied over 10,800 roadside gullies across the county.
They said that this winter’s programme will focus on known problem areas and local priorities, with the aim of reducing flooding and preventing costly damage to road surfaces.
Local contractors are carrying out the planned work, allowing the council's own highways teams to concentrate on urgent repairs, gritting and responding to emergencies during the colder months.
Cllr Jackie Charlton, Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys, said the approach would help make the county's roads more resilient to severe weather.
“This programme builds on the positive progress made over the last year and allows us to take an increasingly planned and targeted approach to highway drainage," she said.
“By focusing resources on known problem locations, we can help reduce the risk and impact of highway flooding, improve the resilience of our roads and reduce water-related deterioration.”
She added that using dedicated contractors would ensure council highways staff remained available for essential winter duties and emergency callouts.
The council hopes the ongoing work will form part of a longer-term rolling programme to tackle recurring flooding problems and improve drainage throughout Powys.
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