Somerset County Council has partnered with a local landowner to ensure work is carried out urgently to prevent any further landslips onto a vital county route.

The Council's Highways team is carrying out essential drainage upgrade and clearance works along the A358 at Combe Florey. The key route links Taunton to West Somerset and a number of recent incidents have caused closures and significant disruption.

Two flooding incidents in August and September just weeks apart, occurred after heavy rain produced run-off from fields which saw tonnes of soil slurry and potatoes run onto the road at Combe Florey. A closure and major clear-up operation was needed on both occasions.


On 20 December another smaller incident occurred in the same location, which also resulted in a closure.

At the time of the first incidents a local tenant farmer was asked by the Council to carryout remedial measures to prevent another incident. Although some works were undertaken, they proved to be insufficient to stop the slip on 20 December. The Council is now in negotiation with the Landowner and will require further remedial measures.

Somerset County Council’s Lead Member for Transport and Digital, Cllr Mike Rigby said: "Local people and road users are quite rightly fed up with this happening and the landowner has a clear responsibility to do something about this.

"We have made this clear to the landowner, and we are committed to ensuring that effective remedial works are carried out urgently so that this sort of incident cannot happen again."