THREE days of exercises by emergency services starting later this week will test to the limit Lydney's preparedness for a major flood.

Aimed at highlighting multi-agency responses to flooding, the tests are taking place this Wednesday and Friday and on next Thursday (March 21, 23 and 29).

The agencies tested the principles of their response in a two day 'table top' exercise at the end of February and the results will now be put to the test 'on the ground' in the vulnerable town.

Lydney is regarded as particularly vulnerable to flooding if conditions of heavy rain, high levels in the Lyd and a big tide in the Severn combine.

Sergeant John Garner of Gloucestershire Constabulary, who is coordinating the exercise on behalf of the county's Local Resilience Forum (LRF), said it is aimed at testing the search and rescue phase of the Lydney Flood Plan.

"It is well known that Lydney is a unique town when it comes to flooding," he said.

"The Environment Agency and others have worked hard to try and alleviate the risk, but we would be failing in our duties if we didn't test our response to flooding in the town.

"This exercise is aimed at making sure all the agencies can work together effectively to help the people of Lydney if serious flooding occurs. Hopefully people will feel reassured that we take the risk and our responsibilities to safeguard the town seriously."

Gloucestershire Constabulary, the Ministry of Defence Police, SARA, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, Great Western Ambulance Service, the Maritime Volunteer Service and Gloucestershire Cave Rescue Group will all be involved.

Chief Fire Officer Jon Hall said: "Opportunities to practice scenarios like this also strengthen a common purpose between the emergency services and the voluntary groups like SARA and the Maritime Volunteers. So if in the entirely foreseeable event that we do need to respond for real, we can all provide a timely and efficient response to the public we serve."

On April 12 the Forest of Dean District Council will be testing its evacuation procedures, using a rest centre, in an exercise in Lydney on April 12.

Cllr Terry Hale, cabinet member for Community at Forest of Dean District Council, said: "As a district council our role is to plan and help our communities to plan for how we would all react in the event of an emergency.

"We encourage communities to play an active role in helping themselves in an emergency and have worked to help with the production of a community plan for Lydney. Areas which have made plans are proven to have more resilience, recovering quicker following an emergency.

"The rest centre exercise gives us an opportunity for our own staff and volunteers to test out our community plan and for the local community to be involved.

"Big thanks to Severnbanks School for allowing us to use their building for the rest centre exercise, to the many volunteers involved, and to Lydney Town Council for completing the community plan."

Further information on the LRF can be found at http://www.gloucestershireprepared.co.uk">www.gloucestershireprepared.co.uk and by following @Glos_Prepared on Twitter.