A National Trust site in Shropshire is carrying out flood-prevention work aimed at slowing the flow of water into the River Severn and River Tern before it can build up downstream. Rangers and volunteers at Attingham Park in Atcham have been building dams, restoring ponds and planting trees, treating the estate's land as a "sponge" to absorb excess water. The scheme forms part of a wider effort to make the Severn catchment more resilient to flooding as climate change makes extreme weather more frequent across the UK.

The project is one of eight being backed by the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme and Shropshire Council, and aims to demonstrate how nature-based solutions can improve water management. Dams have been built from willow wood sourced from pond restoration work on the estate, while project manager Jane Birch has also introduced hedgerow planting and wooden debris-trapping barriers. Birch noted that post-war land drainage prioritised farming productivity, but the focus is now shifting towards retaining water on land to cut flood risk further downstream, a view echoed by BBC environmental correspondent David Gregory Kumar, who said such simple measures can make a significant difference.