AVETON Gifford is to be at the forefront of a new approach to storm water drainage being ­pioneered by South West Water.

The WaterShed project aims to keep surface water out of combined sewers in an attempt to tackle longstanding flooding issues throughout the region.

During periods of heavy rain, surface water can overwhelm sewers, and in some cases, ­particularly when outflows are 'tide-locked', a mixture of rain and raw sewage can escape through drains and manholes.

Because of ever-increasing 'urban creep' – the loss of permeable green space in villages, towns and cities – more surface water is ending up in sewers.

In Aveton Gifford, SWW's solution involves disconnecting downpipes taking water from roofs from the sewer system, instead directing water to naturally permeable areas.

A spokesperson for the ­company explained: 'In Aveton Gifford, which is a steep little village, water flows down to Jubilee Terrace, and when the outflow is blocked at high tide it sometimes comes out through a drain on someone's drive.

'The topography of Aveton Gifford is such that the conclusion we've come to is that all the houses backing onto the stream should disconnect their downpipes. We've had a meeting with the parish council, chaired by Gary Streeter, and we'll hold a public meeting on a Saturday to tell people about the many ways they can disconnect their roof.'

One method is to divert roof water to a 'rain garden', an engineered hole in the ground filled with sand, gravel and plants that can adapt to wet conditions. Alternatives might be a pond, stream or wildlife feature.

Although there is no specific date for the start of the project, SWW has said that grants will be offered to householders to cover the cost of the work, with 50 per cent paid up front and the rest when proof is supplied that the work has been done.

The company also hopes to involve the local primary school through a project looking at all the interesting ways water can be taken out of the sewer system.

Flood risk manager at SWW Richard Behan said: 'Histori-cally we have a combined ­system where storm water goes into the sewers.

'However, as more and more green space is paved over, less water is absorbed into the ground and is ending up in the sewers instead. When it rains hard this overloads the pipes, which have a finite capacity.

'We want to reverse this trend.

'We've built storm tanks all over the South West, but there are also greener, more sustainable ways we can keep storm water out of the sewers. Our WaterShed projects are all about working with communities to find ways of storing water where it falls and letting it soak harmlessly into the ground.

'There are many ways we can do that and we're keen to work with communities to find the ways that suit them best, whether it's using storm water for irrigating plants on roundabouts, directing it into tree pits or, as in Truro, by directing roof water into a natural swale in the park and enhancing the park at the same time.

'The RHS website has lots of great advice for people who'd like to help reverse the trend for paving over permeable ground, and in the meantime we're focusing on places that have persistent sewer flooding ­problems, and where removing storm water could make a real difference to sewer flooding while improving the local ­environment at the same time.'