Campaigners call for £3 billion Wash barrier linking Lincolnshire and Norfolk on 10th anniversary of devastating Boston floods

Campaigners are calling on plans for a £3 billion, 11-mile barrier and road linking Lincolnshire and Norfolk across The Wash to get the green light – 10 years on from a flood which affected more than 600 homes in the area.

Today (December 5) marks a decade since anniversary of the storm surge in the North Sea that affected the East coast of Scotland and England, and in particular Boston and the surrounding area in south Lincolnshire.

In that area 607 residential properties and a further 121 businesses were flooded.

Approximately 20km of flood defences over topped causing four breaches in the seabanks which resulted in the flooding of approximately 1,700 hectares of agricultural land.

A business called Centre Port Ltd want to create an 11-mile barrage between Lincolnshire and Norfolk in a plan that would involve a deep sea container terminal, renewable energy generation, a road across the mouth of the Wash and flood defences to protect south Lincolnshire from the effects of climate change and future tidal surges.

On the 10th anniversary of the devastating flood, The Wash Frontagers Group – which represents the farmers and landowners who live and work next to the 75 km of coastline of The Wash between Gibraltar Point in Lincolnshire and Wolferton Creek in Norfolkare – is backing the plan, arguing more needs to be done to protect the area.

“The proposal to build a barrier across the mouth of The Wash to generate hydroelectricity and host a new container port for the country which was launched last year would provide a welcome defence against further storm surges which have caused so much damage before, said group chairman Stafford Proctor.

“A rolling program of works to improve the sea banks around the length of the coast of The Wash should be initiated now.

“The model of the Wrangle Bank project shows that such works can be carried out successfully in a cost effective manner for the benefit of all.

Since the 2013 storm surge significant measures have been put in place aimed at avoiding a repetition of the damage.

Boston now has a flood barrier in the River Haven and 5.8km of sea bank between Wrangle and Friskney have been increased in height in a project led by the Witham Fourth District Internal Drainage Board the cost being borne by the Environment Agency, the European Union and local farmers who came together to work in a partnership underwritten by Lincolnshire County Council.

“The most optimistic assessments say sea levels will rise by a minimum of 0.3m this century, which will further increasing the regions susceptibility to storm surges as were seen in 1953, 1978 and 2013,” Mr Proctor added.

“Whilst the steps which have been taken to improve the flood defences are welcome, flood water is no respecter of political or geographical boundaries and an all embracing solution to protect the towns and country side of the East Midlands should now be initiated.

“In recent years English politics has been dominated first by Brexit and then by Covid.

“I hope that next year the Government will focus further on protecting the people and property of the East Midlands for the benefit of those who live there and for the country as a whole.”