Community scheme - Brewood
FAIR is empowering communities across Staffordshire and the Black Country with the skills, knowledge, and resources to improve their flood resilience. This focuses on innovative and collaborative approaches to sustainability reduce community flood risks.
The village of Brewood in South Staffordshire is a quiet rural community with a strong sense of identity. Surrounded by fields and tributaries of the River Penk, most notably the Chillington Brook to the south of the village, the area faces challenges from both surface water flooding and risk of river flooding.
After flood risk investigations highlighted areas of flood risk in the village, FAIR engaged with residents in Brewood through open community meetings. By proactively engaging with the community, FAIR gathered valuable insights from residents about their experiences with surface water issues as well as raising concerns of bank erosion and river levels overtopping the Chillington Brook.
During the first phase of engagement with the community, residents raised concerns about several issues that included:
- The local drainage systems operating under significant stress and not draining efficiently due to elevated water levels in Chillington Brook.
- Visible deterioration along the Chillington Brook embankment, particularly where the watercourse meanders close to the highway. In this area, highway gullies were unable to cope with large amounts of silt being deposited in the area, primarily due to the natural topography of the land and local agricultural works. This resulted in surface water runoff unable to enter the drainage system and a continuous flow across the road toward the Brook, further weakening and eroding the embankment structure.
- The existing weir was not functioning as it was originally designed to. The intended purpose of the weir was to direct the primary flow down Chillington Brook while providing an overflow route during periods of heavy or prolonged rainfall. Instead, the weir was directing the main flow route of the brook into a second channel and its reduced effectiveness was contributing to the ongoing drainage and flooding issues experienced by residents.
Working with the community, FAIR has implemented a co-designed and collaborative scheme to address these issues and associated flood risks. The scheme included:
- The installation of Geo Grow bags, providing an environmentally friendly method of embankment stabilisation.
- Reconstruction of the existing weir to increase its capacity and improve water flow management by reinstating the intended design and flow route of the Chillington Brook.
- Removal of a redundant corrugated metal weir downstream, enabling the watercourse to return to a more natural flow path and preventing excessive force being directed toward the estate outfall pipe.
- New highway drainage features installed to improve the management of surface water runoff being directed correctly into the Chillington Brook during rainfall events. This will reduce surface water on the highway when the existing gullies are unable to function effectively due to silt blockages, an issue commonly experienced on rural roads throughout Staffordshire.
Open communication with residents, supported by one especially committed resident, played a central role in shaping the flood reduction measures around the needs and priorities of the community. Clear and consistent communication ensured that the project remained focused and achievable, leading to the successful delivery of a package of works. Proposed mitigation options were shared with residents throughout both the design and construction phases, enabling meaningful feedback at every stage. This collaborative approach not only helped refine and progress the scheme but also built trust and confidence between the community and the organisations involved. As a result, a strong and active volunteer group has emerged with dedicated community members.
Since the completion of the works, residents have reported significant improvements to bank stabilisation and surface water runoff management, with flows effectively directed into the Chillington Brook rather than remaining on the highway. This includes the works performing well during the prolonged rainfall experienced in January 2026.
Building on the momentum to strengthen local resilience to flood risk, residents have now established the Brewood Flood Action Group. The group plans to hold annual flood risk meetings, share information and observations of surface water drainage and brook behaviour, and raise any concerns with the appropriate authorities. Members will also support South Staffordshire District Council’s vegetation maintenance programme, helping to keep watercourses flowing effectively.
The Brewood Flood Action Group is committed to continuing to share knowledge and information about local flood risks and Brewood’s network of watercourses, ensuring the whole community remains informed, prepared, and actively involved in becoming more resilient.