HUNDREDS of acres of prime Forest farmland could be put at risk to ensure there is no repeat of the floods which devastated Tewkesbury, it has been claimed.

Environment Agency plans to stop maintaining the flood defences at Awre were put to a public meeting attended by around 80 people at the village church last week.

The agency says the cost of maintaining the defences are higher than the economic benefits of reducing the flooding risk.

But locals say the agricultural character of the parish could be at risk and higher priority needs to be given to food production as that issue climbs up the political agenda.

Mr Mark Awre, who chaired the meeting, said: "We asked if there were any plans to increase build up the banks at Tewkesbury because that would put more pressure on the defences here but the agency would not say.

"I think we are a sacrificial lamb to ensure that Tewkesbury does not get flooded.

"The defences at Awre are in pretty good shape at the moment so this isn't going to be a problem immediately.

"But if the Environment Agency does not maintain the defences we are storing up problems for our grandchildren.

"If the defences fail at Awre more than 400 acres of good agricultural land will disappear and they are talking about stopping maintenance just as Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) is saying that farmers will have to increase production by 70 per cent by 2050 to ensure our food security.

"There will be no compensation if the area did flood and that would be a disaster for farmers."

Mr Awre's brother David who farms in the area said food security needed to be taken more seriously.

He said: "If 450 acres of land floods here you can't just take 450 acres somewhere else. We can't keep taking land out of production.

"I've got children and they would like to farm here after me but you've got to ask what kind of future there is going to be."

Sea levels are rising more slowly than forecast, says the Environment Agency which is in discussions with landowners about the future of the defences.

Among the options are a partnership between public bodies, landowners and the community to maintain the defences, landowners taking on responsibility for the defences, a realignment scheme to provide better protection for property access, adapting farming activities to become more resilient to flooding or doing nothing, allowing the defences to deteriorate.

A consultation on the Severn Estuary Flood Risk Management Strategy is open until the end of July. For more details visit http://www.severnestuary.net">www.severnestuary.net