September 30, 2020 11.46 am This story is over 42 months old

Wainfleet dredging starts a year after floods

Desilting will take up to two months
The floods affected over 1000 people last June. Photo: Chris Dower
By Local Democracy Reporter

Flood prevention work has started in Wainfleet, over a year after 500 homes were evacuated in the Lincolnshire market town due to River Steeping bursting its banks.

It happened in June 2019, damaging hundreds of houses in the area, which prompted an investigation from the Environment Agency as to how the town could be protected from future flooding.

Over a year later, along with the help of local authorities, the Environment Agency is working to remove silt from the river bed in Wainfleet, allowing water to pass through quicker.

The boat will pump silt out of the river. Photo: Environment Agency

Silt levels are up to 44cm higher than they should be in the Wainfleet Relief Channel, which further increases water levels and risks flooding.

The dredging is expected to take up to two months, as a boat pumps silt from the river into a man-made lagoon.

Residents had been calling for action on the flood risk for over a year, saying they were “terrified” even when it rained.