Staff from the Environment Agency have begun work to fix a breached riverbank in Lincolnshire in the latest phase of response to last month’s devastating floods.
After an intensive phase of work to aid inundated communities – in conjunction with local authorities – EA efforts are increasingly focusing on longer-term infrastructure repairs after record rainfall pushed rivers in the county to their limits.
The agency said work started at the weekend to restore the Barlings Eau’s breached riverbank, with teams using pontoons and amphibious diggers for the installation of what is expected to be at least 40 metres of piling that will be required to repair the bank
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Only after the piling is in place will the EA be able to pump floodwater away from adjacent agricultural land and rebuild the washed-away bank with clay and soil.
Elsewhere in the county – one-third of which is below sea level – repairs are under way at Timberland Delph, where agency teams moved 100 1-tonne sandbags and equipment into place to protect the bank from further damage ahead of long-term remedial work.
Temporary repairs are also in place on the Billinghay Skirth, where a number of homes have been protected while engineers plan a permanent fix.
EA area director Norm Robinson said that despite the autumn’s extreme rainfall, less than 1% of Lincolnshire’s agricultural land has been affected.
“We know how devastating flooding can be for those affected, which is why we’re completing repairs as quickly as possible,” he said.
“This work will have to be done in stages, but throughout the process, we’ll continue working closely with the internal drainage boards and the National Farmers Union, and we are in near daily contact with the landowners affected, giving advice, guidance and updates on our progress.
“Over the coming days and weeks, Environment Agency teams will continue to carry out inspections, monitor defences, and carry out any further repairs as needed.”