Surfleet Reservoir resident hits out over state of River Glen
A disgusting smell and flooding fears have been raised by a resident living close to a river which is covered with cut vegetation.
John Whitmore has hit out at the Environment Agency over the state of the River Glen at Surfleet Reservoir which is covered with cut weeds.
Mr Whitmore says that the Agency had been cutting weeds from the river bed earlier this month but had not bothered to removed them - so they have floated down and are now congregating in front of the sluice gates.
He is calling on the body to open up the gates to release the weeds – to ensure the homes around the reservoir do not suffer with flooding once more.
Mr Whitmore said: “The river is quite blocked up and it is not going to help the flow of the river and stop flooding.
“It’s come down all the way from Bourne. More and more is coming down. The vegetation is just building up.
“They cut a lot more now it is just floating down to the sluice gate and if we have a lot of rain what is going to happen?”
Mr Whitmore has previously called on the agency to properly control the water in the Glen – which had burst its banks in 2021 and resulted in firefighters have to pump water away from homes at the Reservoir.
He says that the agency boats had been down the Glen on July 17 to cut weeds from the river bed but the contents had not been removed from the river. They had also been down on July 18.
Mr Whitmore said: “The river authority don’t do anything. They are a waste of space. They don’t do the job properly.”
He also says that the current issues with weeds are also creating problems for both residents and people wishing to use the river.
Mr Whitmore said: “The vegetation is rotting and it is smelling. It is a health hazard. If anyone falls in there they will struggle to get out. We do get a lot of people down here with boats, canoes and paddle boards.”
A spokesman from the Environment Agency said: “The vegetation will be flushed away when tides and water levels allow. The current forecast and the level of duckweed does not present a flood risk. If members of the public are concerned they can contact us on 0800 807060.”
