Letters Bad maintenance leads to flooding
Sir - How can the Environment Agency justify spending £10 million to flood 1,000 acres of land at Trent Falls? This scheme was supposedly to protect us in the event of the ice-caps in Greenland melting. In the meantime, thousands of people in the East Riding have had their houses flooded, a situation made worse by the lack of maintenance of water outlets that flow into the rivers.
I don't know all the circumstances for all flooded areas but do know about a case affecting land near my home. Bishopsoil drain at Blacktoft takes nearly all the rainwater from the Gilberdyke and Sandholme area. About four miles of the drain are managed by the Lower Ouse Drainage Board, but the creek between the tidal flap and the river Ouse is the responsibility of the Environment Agency. This creek was full of silt when the heavy rain started and this restricts the water flow from Bishopsoil drain.
Historically, this creek has been kept clear for water to flow. The Environment Agency now say that the reedbeds would be damaged by machinery if they cleaned it out. These reedbeds are protected by Natural England, as the site is a SSSI (due to the rare reedbeds). Natural England is an organisation made up of computers and clipboards with seemingly unlimited government funding.
In the meantime, people have water in their houses, land drains are full, and the effects have been disastrous.
It appears to me that the priorities of the Environment Agency are clearly misguided, and that some basic maintenance of the watercourses that they can control should be their priority.
Robin Sweeting
Thornton Lands, Faxfleet
Published on 12th July 2007 in Letters.
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