A village hit by flooding earlier this year is taking steps to prevent a repeat this winter but raising fears that problems could be passed downstream.

The A272 at Bramdean, near Alresford, was closed for about a month in February in the worst floods for decades.

A meeting last week heard that ditches are being cleared for the first time in 30-40 years and the county council is putting in bigger pipes to increase capacity, to be completed before Christmas.

But a villager from Cheriton is worried that moving water more quickly through Bramdean will cause bigger problems elsewhere.

Pat Lawrence, Cheriton flood warden, told the Daily Echo: “Our main concern is that if the capacity is increased upstream at Bramdean that will affect us. If we have a wet autumn we could have problems.”

Mr Lawrence wants the county to alter the three bridges in Cheriton to reduce the way they act as dams, holding back water to cause flooding.

Matthew Morton, chairman of Bramdean and Hinton Ampner Parish Council, said that Bramdean and Cheriton should solve the problem together. He said: “I think there is an opportunity to hold the water back before Cheriton in the water meadow. It is called Hinton Marsh. The clue is in the name.”

A sluice could be fitted and it could hold a lot of water, he said.