WORK begins next Monday on a major project to repair Tenbury’s troubled drains.

The £100,000 scheme should put an end to road flooding and bad smells.

Engineers from Worcestershire County Council have pledged that the work in Teme and Market Streets will be done with the minimum of disruption.

“We are very conscious that Tenbury needs a break from disruption and this is why the work is being spread over three months,” said Ken Pollock, Tenbury’s member on Worcestershire Council.

“The contractors will do short stretches at a time working from drain to drain.”

It will involve making sure the drains are clear and there is a good connection for rain water to feed into the main sewer.

This should not only prevent some of the flooding of roads that has occurred because the drains cannot always cope and it is hoped will also put an end to a bad smell problem in the town centre from time to time.

But the drain improvement scheme will be the first of a number of major construction projects in Tenbury this year.

Bosses meet this month to set the timetable for the building of the new Tesco supermarket on the former auction yard site and work is also due to begin on improving pavements and the appearance of Tenbury streets.

“The timing of the public realm work will fit in with the Tesco building programme and we hope to have more information about this before the end of January,” added Coun Pollock.

It will be the second year in a row that Tenbury has experienced large scale construction projects.

The early part of 2012 was dominated by the 10 week closure of the Teme Bridge and the refurbishment of The Regal Cinema took place throughout the first half of the year.

Thankfully the bridge works came in early, and under budget.

And there is good news on the funding front, with Coun Pollock making a commitment to ensure Tenbury gets its share of a pot of £3.2 million, allocated by central Government to Worcestershire Council.

“It is intended that a proportion of this money will be spent on improving pathways and I am determined that Tenbury gets a share,” Coun Pollock said.

“I want to hear from people who feel that the paths in the area where they live need to be improved.”