The Environment Agency has submitted plans to build new flood defences in Totnes.

The £3.8 million development includes improving existing defences along the River Dart to protect over 400 homes and businesses from flooding.

Features of the scheme involve updating defences from the mainline railway bridge to the Steam Packet Inn, providing a new flood wall within Morrisons car park, raising Ashford slipway, the provision of flood resilience measures to individual properties and flood gates.

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Designs for the project were dawn up following discussions with landowners and property owners as well as a public drop-in session in April. If approved, construction will start in 2017.

Tom Buxton-Smith, an EA engineer, said: "Since the construction of the original defences we know flood risk has changed and in recent years there have been at least two occasions where some of the properties in the town have come close to flooding. The proposed work will reduce flood risk to hundreds of properties.

"By using the existing flood defences we hope to be able to carry out improvements in a cost effective way which minimises disruption in the town during construction.

"The excellent local knowledge of residents really helped shape our designs. Residents were supportive of our designs and were keen the finished defences would be sympathetic to the unique town of Totnes."

(LM/MH)