Winchester and its ground breaking flood protection

Winchester has frequently suffered the impacts of flooding in the past. The historic city on the banks of the River Itchen has therefore been preparing for the worst after the recent prolonged heavy rainfall. Firstly, with help from the Environment Agency, fire fighters and the Navy, a 70ft flood protection barrier has been set up to protect an important area of the city centre which includes a primary school and the city's art college. They have also brought in high volume water pumps to move the flood waters away from vulnerable buildings. In addition though an innovative idea is being trialled to divert water away from the river Itchen itself. Sixty one tonne bags of gravel are being dumped in the river Itchen to slow the flow of the river and divert it into a large holding pond which has been created across an area of water meadows to the north of the city. This should reduce the water levels in the city centre. Depending on the success of the project it could be something that could be used in other places to prevent flood damage in the future.There is a really useful item on this on tonight's One Show on BBC One (17/02/2014), which will hopefully been on iplayer too shortly.