A FLOOD prevention project hopes to reduce flooding issues in Hockley.

Rochford District Council residents are in line to benefit from a £1.8m programme of works to improve drainage and flooding issues around Hockley.

A “boundary” has been provisionally marked out and a feasibility study has been successfully conducted.

This has identified that many homes within the boundary can benefit from flood prevention work that will considerably reduce flood risk to some residential properties, and remove many others from the “risk” bracket completely.

Rochford District Council Deputy Leader, Cllr Keith Hudson, said: “The devastation caused by flooding in 2013 affected so many of our residents that the Flood Forum was established to ensure that all appropriate authorities, Anglia Water, Essex County Council, the Environment Agency, the fire service and ourselves met regularly."

"From small acorns mighty oaks do grow and thanks to the determination and hard work undertaken by all concerned we have managed to resolve many localised flooding problems and now embark on one of the most significant endeavours to date.

" This particular programme is going to make a huge difference to residents and the detailed design work is already underway.”

A public consultation is to be undertaken that will include residents, schools, community groups, parish councils, utilities and Rochford District Council and design work for the scheme is now being undertaken. At the moment the timeframe is that the project will start in 2016-2017.