Plans to try and prevent flooding in the west of Richmond borough have been approved by residents.

The Environment Agency (EA), which aims to protect the environment, launched a consultation on its Lower Thames Strategy last year.

Staff from the organisation collected responses for residents and councils and more than 80 per cent of respondents backed the plans.

The £300m scheme includes upgrade work at Teddington Lock and the construction of three flood diversion channels further west.

It was drawn up to reduce the risk of flooding to the 15,000 properties close to the river between Teddington and Datchet.

Graham Piper, from the EA, said: “We are very pleased with the positive response we received from the public, residents' groups and local authorities.”

The strategy now needs to be approved by the Government before individual plans are formally drawn up and work will not begin before 2017.