FLOOD defences have been put to the test in Wilton to make sure the town is ready to swing into action.

Members of Wilton Town Council and the Environment Agency came together to test the deployment of demountable defences for Crow Lane on September 30.

Many properties on Crow Lane and North Street were prevented from flooding back 2014 due to the actions of the flood warden and town council who constructed a 20m sandbag wall to stop the water.

Following the flooding the Environment Agency started a joint project with Wilton Town Council, Wiltshire Council and the local community to use demountable defences rather than sandbags in the future.

And Wiltshire Council undertook highway works to allow the flood barrier to be used as it requires a flat surface on which to be deployed.

Naish Felts repaired and strengthened a section of wall to enable the defences to tie in to it.

Wilton Town council will store and deploy the defences when required and the Environment Agency will warn the community when to deploy the defences based on the river level at South Newton upstream of Wilton.

Aysha Musson, the asset performance engineer for the Environment Agency, said: “This was a great opportunity for the community to test the deployment of the defences whilst also testing the response of the Environment Agency and local Town Council Volunteers.

"The day was a great success and the exercise has helped us to ensure the process is as efficient as possible to reduce flood risk to Crow Lane and North Street.”

Anyone interested in becoming a flood warden in Wilton is asked to get in touch with Wilton Town Council by emailing clerk@wiltontowncouncil.gov.uk