Gloucestershire County Council has launched a pilot in Cheltenham this month to monitor road gullies and reduce the impact of flash flooding.

Radar sensors have been installed on gullies along Cirencester Road in Charlton Kings, St Georges Road and Pittville Circus. The system uses sound waves to track water levels in key locations and flag issues to the council's Flood Risk Management Team.

The devices, managed by Kaarbon Tech, will gather data and send automatic notifications, aiming to cut reliance on manual surveying and improve operational efficiency and response times.

The 12-month trial is funded by the River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region (RSPAWIR), which is also supporting innovative gully monitoring across six other counties. The programme aims to transform how local drainage networks are monitored and managed.

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Results from Gloucestershire and the other pilots will be evaluated by RSPAWIR alongside participating local authorities to produce a best practice guide.

Cllr. Martin Horwood, cabinet member for Nature, Waste Reduction, and Climate said: "Localised flash flooding causes huge amounts of disruption and we're working to help reduce road closures, protect properties, and improve daily commutes during heavy rainfall. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent due to climate change and the council is looking for ways to reduce the impact on our communities. We clear more than 130,000 gullies every year and if this scheme proves successful, it could offer the potential for wider adoption across other parts of the county."

Councillor Tooke, Cabinet Member for Business, Economic Development, Planning and Infrastructure commented: "This project demonstrates of how Gloucestershire County Council, through our new digital strategy, is seeking to embrace innovation and make smarter use of technology. By adopting pilot projects for advanced solutions such as these, we will deliver efficiency and enhancements to services for residents across the county"