SOUTH Cerney Parish Council has hit out at Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) for failing to carrying out flood prevention work in the village.

Torrential rain last autumn and winter meant that a riverbank on School Lane in the village was severely eroded and homes on Robert Franklin Way were at risk of flooding.

After the parish council installed a temporary water drainage system the flood risk was alleviated.

Since then the parish council have asked GCC, who work with the Environment Agency, to construct a permanent solution to the flooding near Robert Franklin Way.

It has also repeatedly prompted the county council to issue the Environment Agency with the paperwork needed for maintenance of the riverbank.

Despite countless emails and phone calls to the county council, no action has been taken and parish councillors fear that if there is more heavy rain this winter, there is a risk areas could be flooded.

Mike Stuart chairman of the parish council said he was worried that if the embankment eroded further this winter the road on School Lane could be washed away.

“They should be installing a bridge or pipe on Robert Franklin Way. They said they are going to do that but it has not been done,” he said.

“We are becoming more and more aggravated because we get people coming to us saying when is the work going to be done.”

Vernon Smith, GCC cabinet member for highways and flood, said the work on School Lane could be carried out later this year He said: “I understand there is frustration with the length of time to resolve the situation at School Lane but this is a complex task and we need to make sure it’s right.

“The plans are currently with the Environment Agency who need to give their consent. We’re hoping for a positive decision so we’ve provisionally booked in a structures team to carry out the work in the middle of October for a period of two weeks.