FLOODING fears will form the focus of a community drop-in event in Weymouth this month.

Dorset Coast Forum is holding a flood awareness event at Park Community Centre, Chelmsford Street, on January 25. Residents are being invited to go along any time from 4pm to 6pm to raise their concerns and help shape future solutions to the issue.

The event is part of the Building Resilience in Communities project and is one of eight pilot schemes being run across the South of the UK and in the northern regions of France.

The aim is to create a guide and new tools and resources that can be used more widely in areas affected by flooding in these areas.

The drop-in event aims to listen to residents’ opinions and experiences on what the best outcomes would be for the community in terms of flood resilience.

In Weymouth there are four main types of flooding risk:

• Tidal flooding via Weymouth Harbour

• Fluvial flooding via the River Wey

• Surface water flooding due to rainfall (exacerbated by tide-locking)

• Wave overtopping of the seafront

A spokesman for the event said: "We want to include the Melcombe Regis community from the beginning, listening to their needs and building a picture of the best ways to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

"Weymouth has many existing and long-established support networks as well as a strong sense of community. The aim is therefore to work alongside what is already in place and to respond to what the community wants and needs, through engagement, creating awareness, training and providing educational and informative tools and guidance."

For more information on the drop-in event - https://www.dorsetcoast.com/posts/flood-awareness-drop-in-event-tuesday-25-january-4-6pm/

For more information on the project, visit www.dorsetcoast.com/projects/weymouth-bric/ or contact Project Coordinator Dan Williams on 01305 228679 or by email at dan.williams@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk