ENVIRONMENT Secretary Elizabeth Truss visited the freshly dredged sections of the River Tone in Stoke St Gregory yesterday (Monday, November 3) – her third visit to Somerset since her appointment in July.

And she’s promised to meet more people affected by last winter’s floods on her next visit to the county.

District councillor Gill Slattery told Ms Truss that people in the villages that were under water for weeks are concerned at how the Somerset Rivers Authority is to be funded from April to ensure that all the good work done by dredging is continued.

Mrs Slattery also pointed out that DEFRA should encourage farmers and landowners to adopt catchment sensitive techniques so that rainfall takes longer to get to the rivers.