THE final stages of a £4.2 million flood defence scheme, which will protect almost 5,000 homes in Clevedon, have been unveiled. The improvements at Marshall's Bank and Land Yeo outfall began in May 2005 and were finally completed on Tuesday. The work will

THE final stages of a £4.2 million flood defence scheme, which will protect almost 5,000 homes in Clevedon, have been unveiled.The improvements at Marshall's Bank and Land Yeo outfall began in May 2005 and were finally completed on Tuesday.The work will provide extra protection to low lying houses and include an allowance for sea level rise over the next 100 years.The final part of the improvements was officially opened by chairman of the Wessex Regional Flood Defence Committee Humphrey Temperley.The most recent flooding happened in December 1981, 25 years ago to the day, when a large surge on a modest Spring tide flooded 305 properties and land up to two kilometres from the sea.Since then, hundreds of properties have been built in the tidal floodplain.Environment Agency spokesman Graham Buxton-Smith said: "The scheme is fully complete and will provide a high standard of flood defence for the rest of this century."The work has included raising and strengthening the existing Marshall's Bank and providing improvements to the water level management upstream.These works included the construction of flood and retaining walls around the new outfall, with ramps tying the raised defences into higher ground and the newly raised embankment.The Blind Yeo Sluice at the south end of Marshall's Bank was refurbished in a separate £1million project by the Environment Agency in 2004.