Farm in the flood.

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
On the basis we all have to pay if we want water maybe we should all charge those that sell it storage when they find themselves “overstocked” ?

don’t ask for help or charity .... just send a bill ?

if they don’t pay then challenge legally and get the NFU off their ass to support such a challenge all the way to the high court ?
 

yellowbelly

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
N.Lincs
It has burst at exactly the same place as it did in 2007 ,when the ea repaired it they managed to leave the bank a little bit lower there so it been a disaster waiting to happen imho
Jeeez, that's a bad state of affairs.
By their speed of response to plug it (as far as I can see, zero) it almost looks like they want it to keep flooding :mad:
 

Heathland

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Are you referring to the Auborn flood land?

Do you know if it is the first time the flood protection land has been flooded since it was constructed if I recall in the late 80's? I cannot recall a previous time. If I recall the landowners had the land purchased at agricultural value plus a premium, then given back to them on basis the understanding was it might be flooded at any time, but without compensation. But I may well be wrong on some or all of the detail. Please correct me. Drove past this evening and the Brant is still well up.

Pretty dire.
The land owners had the choice I believe,take a one off payment or be compensated when it was used for flood alleviation,think most took the one of payment.
The scheme has been used several times since it was created so they won't be compensated for loss of crops,but to be fair there is virtually no wheat drill due to it being incredibly wet, they do have OSR which Aubourn have 300ac under water,but I do suppose thats one way of getting rid of flea beetle, bit extreme tho:banghead:.
I've never seen it as wet,the water is even pushing up on the heathland now in the valleys due to the Witham being so high.
Incredible.
 
Jeeez, that's a bad state of affairs.
By their speed of response to plug it (as far as I can see, zero) it almost looks like they want it to keep flooding :mad:
According to the government web site on river levels they are unable to pump out Mr Wards farm as the Witham would not take it.
More rain due tomorrow and if we get more than 1" the river will be in danger.
Trees and weed is slowing the water flow inside the banks. The drainage board do a good gob on ditches but there not able to work on the river as that is for the EA.
I think the EA are letting water go on private land where they can. Water is seeping threw the bank and running across my track because of the extra 2mts of water in the river. Even I'm getting nervous now.
The river is full of silt as they don't dredge or even cut the weed in the river or the banks any more, I'm sure the river could cope with a lot more rain with some maintenance.
 

getting on

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Lincs
Much of Lincolnshire depends upon the Witham emptying at low tide at Boston - when we have had this much rain it just can't happen quickly enough - therefore flood plains will be flooded either deliberately as water management or due to bank failure as has been seen at Barlings
The River Witham which runs through my farm has not been dredged or weeded for 44 years. I keep moaning to the N F U and the E A. The only thing promised is a survey which has been the standard answer for the last 5 years.
 

Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
On the basis we all have to pay if we want water maybe we should all charge those that sell it storage when they find themselves “overstocked” ?

don’t ask for help or charity .... just send a bill ?

if they don’t pay then challenge legally and get the NFU off their ass to support such a challenge all the way to the high court ?
I did just this 30 odd years ago when I farmed a lot of meadowland. I felt justified as a new town had been built up river recently and the result was frequent inundation.
in response I had a letter from the Great ouse River Board as it was then , from there legal department explaining how they had an absolute right to use my land as storage. The river used to be dredged every ten years, glad I left as I believe it has not been touched since. Terrible shame as the land was as good a grazing as you could get
 

Lowland1

Member
Mixed Farmer
Talking to a farm manager earlier where they have opened the flood gates south of Lincoln,they have over a 1000 ac under water but it is in the flood protection scheme and getting worse,is they won't dam the breach has the water would back up a flood Lincoln.
Re, The flooding. Branston Island has also been rented with the proviso it can be flooded in the event of heavy rains. It was up for rent in the early 80's and I wanted my Dad to rent it but he would n't because of this. Talking to him yesterday he says that it flooded similarly in 1963 after the hard winter and then the thaw and apparently in 1949 in the summer. However both are before my time and time may have blurred Dad's memory. Whilst I do believe than little has been done in recent years to the River and the Drains in this area I still believe most of this flooding is due to the extreme rainfall we have recieved over the last six weeks. However it has to be a wake up call.
 
Last edited:

fudge

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire.
Long term I cannot see any other policy apart from “managed retreat” from rising amounts of both rainfall and sea level in Lincolnshire. I don’t think there is the stomach for the necessary investment. I read on here what a good job the IDB do, but in our area (Lindsay marsh) 75% of their funding comes from local government who have been severely squeezed by austerity. Without a change of heart at national level the situation will remain the same.
 

turbo

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
lincs
Jeeez, that's a bad state of affairs.
By their speed of response to plug it (as far as I can see, zero) it almost looks like they want it to keep flooding :mad:
They do,it’s saved their arses because Lincoln was about to flood on Friday night but that bank burst relived the pressure. The ea have been next to useless and farmers have had to think on their feet to try and save what they have got,one who has holiday lodges needed a pump to keep the water out but was told no by the ea
 

JCMaloney

Member
Location
LE9 2JG
Saw the chap on the news this morning.
I just felt he had been sacrificed for the "greater good" of Lincoln/other conurbations. Its almost as if the wall/dyke had been mended with a "view to failure" if there was a serious weather event.
And then I saw the houses they had built in a disused quarry........... :nailbiting::stop:
 

czechmate

Member
Mixed Farmer
I did just this 30 odd years ago when I farmed a lot of meadowland. I felt justified as a new town had been built up river recently and the result was frequent inundation.
in response I had a letter from the Great ouse River Board as it was then , from there legal department explaining how they had an absolute right to use my land as storage. The river used to be dredged every ten years, glad I left as I believe it has not been touched since. Terrible shame as the land was as good a grazing as you could get


Do you mean great Ouse river authority? As a kid we had boats on the Ouse, and there was lots of work boats withG.O.R.A. On them, I remember as my brother used to joke, do they call them Lora on the Little Ouse?
 

JD6920s

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Shropshire
on the somerset levels, they find any excuse they can, to avoid dredging the rivers, certainly water voles, badgers etc, are more important than flooded houses. If the rivers were dredged, the water would disperse quicker.

But what happens to the voles etc when the river is in flood by 15 feet? They are always back afterwards, so they cope with that, I’m sure a bit of dredging is a small price to pay to give them a drier home in future, as well as all the houses and businesses that suffer.
 

Lincs Lass

Member
Location
north lincs
Hardly a subject for levity, but you have to wonder if Mablethorpe will be missed.
Few years ago ,one of these climate ,ice cap melting surveys said that if the increase in air temperatures carried on ,the ice caps would melt and raise sea levels,,along the North sea coast ,Hull and Grimsby would be the first places to be severely affected by the rising waters,,probably leading to catastrophic flooding .
Well no great loss
 

JCMaloney

Member
Location
LE9 2JG

Danllan

Member
Location
Sir Gar / Carms
I am going to now sound like an apologist for the EA, so my apologies for that...

Awful as it is for those affected by flooding, possibly not surprising in the circumstances. Possibly surprising how well the river levees are standing upto the strain.
Good post.

well, they survived dredging for a few hundred years.
Ah, but short term thinking doesn't allow for that... :banghead:
 

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