MISERY for residents on a Kidderminster estate looks set to end with a £1.6m project to prevent sewer flooding.

Severn Trent are to install two underground storage tanks beneath two parking areas in Linnet Rise, on the Spennells estate.

The work is due to begin on Monday (February 13) and will last up to six months.

The underwater tanks will help to take more waste water away, reducing the risk of flooding.

In 2007, residents in Linnet Rise were left counting the cost after water and sewage drains overflowed flooding their homes causing thousands of pounds worth of damage, after torrential rain hit Wyre Forest.

Severn Trent has been working closely with the council to work out the best way to carry out the work and has also met with residents to discuss the plans.

As the storage tanks are installed in the parking areas, only one area will be closed at a time to minimise disruption.

Seng Cheah, from Severn Trent, said: "We know just how terrible sewer flooding can be for anyone, which is why this is a really important project for people living in Linnet Rise.

"When rain falls quickly it can fill the sewers which, at the moment, do not have the capacity to move the water away fast enough, so we will be installing two underground storage tanks which will help to take more waste water away and so reduce the risk of flooding for everyone living in Linnet Rise.

"During the course of the project there will be some traffic disruption but we are working hard to minimise the impact of this.

"As we are working in the parking areas we will make sure that one remains open at all times to allow residents to make the best possible use of the existing parking facilities.

"We hope they will appreciate the huge difference this will make and see the long-term benefits once the work is complete."

For more information about the project in Linnet Rise, visit stw.works.