Staffordshire County Council is introducing AI-supported monitoring across selected trash screen locations, helping officers identify developing flood risks earlier, target maintenance resources more effectively and improve protection for communities during severe weather.

As changing weather patterns bring more intense rainfall and increasing pressure on drainage infrastructure, local authorities face a growing challenge in understanding how conditions are developing across their networks, particularly at locations where blockages can quickly increase the risk of flooding.

Managing over 300 trash screens across the county, Staffordshire County Council has traditionally relied on physical inspections to monitor these critical locations. A single inspection of every screen could take a two-person crew approximately 75 working days, at an estimated operational cost of £30,000. During heavy rainfall, when conditions can change rapidly, the challenge becomes even greater as teams work to identify which locations actually require attention.

To address this challenge, the Council has adopted KaarbonTech’s SMART Shot AI monitoring solution at selected locations. The AI-powered, self-running cameras regularly capture and analyse images to identify changes in debris accumulation and surrounding conditions, automatically alerting officers when developing issues may require attention. This provides earlier visibility of potential blockages and emerging flood risks, helping the Council prioritise its response without needing to physically visit every location to assess conditions.

The Staffordshire project also reflects a wider change in how local authorities are approaching flood preparedness. With increasing pressure on public resources and growing expectations around climate adaptation, understanding how infrastructure behaves between inspections is becoming an important part of managing risk, planning interventions and strengthening community resilience.

(Pictures: KaarbonTech)