Risk of flooding to homes and businesses is being reduced with work to the banks of the tidal River Haven in Lincolnshire.
The Environment Agency is maintaining and repairing flood banks along the river, downstream of the market town of Boston. Maintenance of the banks takes place each year to ensure they remain in good condition.
Work began on the river in August and is expected to be completed by the end of October. A total of 1,300 tonnes of limestone will be placed against the banks to protect them from erosion between the Port of Boston and the entry into The Wash. Around 900 tonnes of stone has already been placed using a long-reach excavator.
Alec Ambridge-Richardson, Operations Delivery Team Leader, said: “Over time, tidal action in the river causes the condition of the flood defences to deteriorate. Without this work, the level of protection offered by the defences would decrease.
“We carry out work periodically to ensure the standard of protection for people and property in the area is maintained. This will help to prevent further erosion of the defence and reduce the risk of flooding for Boston and the surrounding area.”
An Environment Agency barge is being used to deliver stone to some of the more difficult to access sites to help minimise the impact of the work on the environment. A quay on the adjacent River Welland will be used as a loading point.
Alec said: “If the stone was transported to site by lorries, roadways would need to built across the marshes, causing disruption to habitats and wildlife and increasing our carbon footprint.
“By using our barge to transport the materials, we not only help to lessen the impact on the natural environment, but also minimise disruption to local people by keeping some of our work traffic off the roads.”
The work is costing £90,000 and is being managed by the Environment Agency’s Spalding-based Operations Delivery Team.
Work such as that taking place on the River Haven reduces the risk of flooding but cannot always prevent it. The Environment Agency urges people to find out what actions they can take to prepare.
To find out more about how they can help themselves, their families and possessions, people can contact the Environment Agency’s Floodline on 0845 988 1188 or visit the website at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/floodanglian
This will enable them to check whether their home or business is at risk of flooding and to sign up for the Environment Agency’s free Floodline Warnings Direct service and to sign up for the Environment Agency’s free Floodline Warnings Direct service.
