A PROJECT to protect homes and firms in Todmorden from flooding is now underway.

Residential and business properties in Burnt Acre Woods will benefit from the Calderdale Council scheme.

The A646 Halifax Road has also suffered regularly following heavy downpours in recent years.

Plans are in place for a new pump well at Knowle End Farm, to bolster surface drainage during intense rainfall.

Rainwater collecting at the road’s lowest point can then drain directly into the River Calder.

The work, running alongside engineering in Midgley and Hebden Bridge, is expected to be completed by June.

Cllr Barry Collins, regeneration and economic development cabinet member, said: “Each of these schemes represents a significant investment in the future of the entire Calder Valley.”