…when the residents of Fishlake and many other villages north of Watford have been flooded out of their homes but I’ll have a little whinge anyway. My loyal readers will already know of the parsimony and nonfeasance of the Environment Agency (EA) from my musing on March 10th, 2017 while last month’s musing demonstrated the recent consequences of their lack of action.
But another five weeks of almost continuous rain has deepened the flood waters to such an extent that Westdean has been cut off from the outside world save via our escape route through the Friston Forest. And that’s another story: the mile-long track is riddled with pot holes (full of water so of unknown depth) and has two padlocked barriers with codes that have to be opened and closed regardless of the weather or time of day for ‘security’ reasons. Guess who doesn’t maintain the track and who insists that the barriers can’t be left open during emergencies: why, another government quango, the Forestry Commission.
Why is it that these large organisations don’t listen to local opinion? For years they’ve been told of the likely implications of their reluctance to maintain the land for which they are responsible but which they ignore either out of perversity, stubbornness or supposed lack of money. Last year, for example, the EA’s shingle clearing at the River Cuckmere’s mouth ceased for cost reasons. £50k a year was deemed unnecessary. So what has happened as a result? See for yourself:
Local anger was so enraged that our district councillors, even our MP got involved and the EA backed down and spent £2000 (yes, £2k not £50k) clearing the shingle. Immediately, literally the day after, the floods in the meanders disappeared:
Elsewhere is still flooded though slowly, very slowly, receding. And why is it taking so long? Because the sluices up and down the river aren’t maintained. They are either broken or in sufficient disrepair that they are not doing the job. And because the river is so silted up it hasn’t the capacity to carry the heavy rain’s excess water to the sea. Who should repair the sluices and dredge the river? The Environment Agency of course. I rest my case.