A think tank of Stratford council officers are compiling a detailed dossier of data following the Easter floods.

They will spend £50,000 over the next two years collecting and verifying information about the effect of the worst deluge to hit the area for 150 years.

The fact finding mission will be led by a new position of land drainage officer responsible for monitoring the average 52 drainage planning applications each week.

The £30,000 a year job will come under the banner of the council’s engineering and building services department, and should be filled within the next few weeks.

He or she will be asked to create a comprehensive drainage strategy for the Avon catchment area, to be ready for the Strategy Committee by the middle of next year.

The job will also mean keeping a close watch on all building applications to ensure none are on low lying land next to rivers susceptible to flooding.

The brief includes:

• Agreeing new and effective consultation procedures for proposed development.

• Creating a well-oiled drill for dealing with flooding in vulnerable areas.

• Ensuring all outside agencies are aware of how they fit into the emergency cover "jigsaw".

The new staff member would liaise closely with the planning department as well as joining in negotiation with developers.

A council spokesman said:

"The council needs to adopt a more proactive role in the management of land drainage matters immediately.

"The council has a vital role to play in terms of planning issues, but first of all we needed to establish basic data at a local level of the deficiencies of the land drainage."

He added: "Although the flooding at Easter was exceptional, it was clear the effects could have been mitigated through better co-ordination, control and maintenance."