PLANS for new flood defences in a Worcestershire village have been given the green light. 

Severn Stoke regularly faces heavy flooding, with plans being in the works for a number of years.

Now though, planners have approved plans for a permanent flood defence scheme in the village.

It is hoped work will begin in the new year, with plans aiming to protect homes, the village hall and the Grade II listed 14th Century St Deny’s Church.

Also covered in the plan is the 500-year-old Rose and Crown pub in the village.

The plan had been approved by Malvern Hills District Council last November, but the scheme needed to be revised following feedback from Worcestershire County Council and other stakeholders.

West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin welcomed the approval, saying homes and businesses needed greater protection.

She said: "It has been a tremendously long journey for the villagers who have led this project and I am relieved that this latest hurdle has been cleared.

"We all hope for a dry winter and I’ve asked for a timeline of works so we can try to keep this project on track.

"It is my hope that both Severn Stoke’s and Tenbury Wells’ permanent schemes get spades in the ground in 2022 and we get yet more important flood defences to protect homes and businesses during the inevitable periods of bad weather."

Mrs Baldwin has been working with community groups since the village suffered serious flooding in 2012 and she has lobbied the Environment Agency and a succession of Government Ministers to secure funding and drive the project forward.