Somerset will receive an extra £114m for flood prevention over the next six years - but it will all be spent in one place.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak MP announced in his budget on March 11 that he was doubling funding for flood and coastal defences to £5.2bn by 2026.

Of this, £114m has been allocated to work within the Bridgwater area through the Environment Agency (EA).

The EA has now confirmed the money will all be spent on constructing and maintaining the new tidal barrier across the River Parrett, which could be operational by 2024.

A spokesman for the Treasury said: “Where flooding and coastal erosion is inevitable, further action is needed to ensure that communities can respond and recover more quickly.

“Areas have be selected based on a range of criteria, including repeated significant flooding in the past.”

The barrier will be constructed across the river between Chilton Trinity and the Express Park near the A38.

An EA spokesman said: “This funding announcement is a significant milestone to deliver the Bridgwater Tidal Barrier flood defence scheme.

“The barrier will better protect at least 11,300 properties and 1,500 businesses in Bridgwater and the surrounding areas from tidal flooding and the effects of climate change in the future.

“Over 90 per cent of the funding has been identified to date, including central government funding and local partnership contributions.

“The funding remains subject to government spending approvals which we and Sedgemoor District Council continue to work in partnership to secure.”

The £114M allocated for the barrier includes inflation, which has been estimated at 2.9 per cent per year up to the barrier’s proposed completion in 2024.

The EA said it had received a “relatively low number” of objections to the barrier in the recent consultation, and it would resolve these objections though written representations to “avoid the delay and cost of a public inquiry.”