FARMERS and landowners along the Severn Estuary are celebrating after reaching agreement with the Environment Agency to maintain the sea wall alongside the Severn Estuary for at least the next 30 years.

The alternative would have been a plan for a 'managed retreat' allowing the estuary waters to flood into more than 400 acres of farmland, breaching more than 800 years of flood defence along the Severn.

The agreement means says the Environment Agency: "We have agreed to work in partnership with the farmers to do some immediate maintenance on the flood defences.  We will be replacing the stone in the erosion holes on the wall and they will carry out maintenance on the floodbanks such as grass cutting, clearing up debris and trees.

"Our work on this will be completed by the end of September, to help prevent any short term breaches of the flood defences.

"Maintaining these defences over the next 30 years is one of the options which is up for discussion, arising from the Severn Estuary Consultation. 

"We will continue speaking to the farmers over the autumn/winter to decide the long term future of flood defence for this area."

•More information about what happens now, following the Severn Estuary

consultation will be on the Defra website.