NATURAL Resources Wales bosses are to spend more than £10m on shoring up flood defences in Gwent in the next two years, figures obtained by the Argus reveal.

The Welsh Government body confirmed the spending as it issued flood alerts and warning across the country including the River Wye in Monmouthshire this month [December 3].

The cash allocation also came after flooding in various parts of Newport including Crindau and Pill last year [2014].

Natural Resources Wales is to allocate more than £7.4m in Newport, £2m in Monmouthshire, £1.2m in Caerphilly and nearly £400,000 in Blaenau Gwent, totalling £11m.

No funding is being allocated to Torfaen, which suffered devastating flash floods in parts of Cwmbran in May 2014.

But Natural Resources Wales stressed that maintenance work like blockage removal, repairs and other safety work would take place in such areas.

A spokesman said: “We also have all of our routine maintenance works ongoing throughout the country.

“So for example, there are no capital schemes planned in the Torfaen area this year or next, but his doesn’t mean we aren’t doing any work there.

“There will still be a lot of routine maintenance work ongoing to ensure our assets in the area are up to standard, i.e. grass cutting on flood banks, herbicide spraying, tree management, blockage removal, public safety works e.g. repairs to fencing and signage, de-weeding and desilting work.”

Nearly £5m is to be spent on a Crindau Pill flood risk management Scheme in the next two years.

A Natural Resources Wales spokesman said that advance works had started on the Crindau flood alleviation scheme and that the former Coronation Club was in the process of being demolished to make way for the new flood wall.

It is hoped that construction will start in summer 2016 and the programme is to last 16 to 18 months.

The scheme comes with a £7m price tag overall and is set to protect 667 properties.

Meanwhile, construction on a flood alleviation scheme has already begun in Risca and is set to reach completion by the summer of 2016.

Natural Resources Wales said the £1.1m scheme would include the construction of embankments and walls, refurbishment of existing walls and creation of access ramps into the river to make it easier to clear blockages from the bridges.