Plans for the defences have now been submitted to Huntingdonshire District Council, and if approved, the EA is hoping to start work on the £1.5 million defences in February next year.

The application is for the construction of a floodgate and an earth embankment on the western boundary of the Riverside Park, as well as raised flowerbeds adjacent to the Crosshall Road roundabout.

Project manager for the scheme Claire Jouvray said: "The work will cause a bit of a mess in Riverside Park during construction, but where possible we will try and replace everything we can as we found it.

"I would also like to reassure residents who live near Hen and Fox Brook, on Brook Lane, that the flood defences in Eaton Ford will have absolutely no effect on the water levels in the brook."

Richard Chubb works for Atkins Water who have drawn up the plans for the scheme. He said: "The defences will offer a much higher standard of protection to hundreds of people living near the river. We have had a very good response from the public, who have been very supportive and given us plenty of feedback."

David Harty, District Councillor for Eaton Ford, said: "It is a very significant exercise that will help around 150 premises, so I think it will be very beneficial to the community."

Town councillor Jennifer Bird, who lives in The Paddock, also welcomed the scheme. She said: "It's been a long process – myself and other residents have been trying to get something done for years.

"I've only experienced flooding once here – we were totally unprepared for it and our house was damaged quite badly. But the council have been very co-operative and it is only the cost of the project and the red tape involved that has slowed the process down."

If all goes to plan, work on the project is expected to take between four and five months, with construction estimated to finish by the end July.