Spalding Yacht Club and Peterborough and District Angling Club say Environment Agency do not care about our rivers
‘The Environment Agency does not care about our rivers’ is the message from two clubs who have been affected by a breached bank - which officials promise will soon be fixed.
Spalding Yacht Club along with Peterborough and District Angling Association need the River Welland to be running at normal levels to ensure their members can enjoy these popular sports.
Nearly eight months on from the river bank on the outskirts of Crowland collapsing during January’s Storm Henk, the Environment Agency says its contractors are ‘planning’ to start repairing the bank this week.
South Holland District Council is now weighing in on the issue to mount further pressure on the Environment Agency to ‘pull their finger out’ and complete a full repair - despite a deluge of excuses from the group responsible for our rivers.
A Welland Yacht Club statement says: “It feels to the club that the EA has little interest in the River Welland and it is nothing more than a backwater to them and that this is at odds with the town’s plans to utilise it for leisure and recreational activities.”
The club has endured a very difficult season as a result of the breach which has had an impact on membership and revenue - because the low levels affect the ability to sail.
The statement also says: “The temporary repair that they put in place recently has helped a little with the water level rising 20cm but given the fact that the work only took them a morning we can’t understand where it took them five months to start it.
“Whilst waiting for the repair no weed cutting has taken place on the Welland and in addition to coping with the low water level we now also have to navigate large amounts of weed.”
Anglers have also raised concerns about the lack of communication and the time scales of getting the repair job sorted.
They also fear that an ‘oxygen crash’ in the river due to the low levels and hot weather could happen and kill a lot of fish, which have already been subjected to predation from marine mammals.
Rob Harris, PDAA chairman, said: “The temporary fix has made a difference but it is not permanent. A permanent repair appears to be scheduled but there is no end date in sight.
“After seven months this is completely unacceptable and shows inadequecy in the service.
“With no end date in sight we are worried that we could be in the same situation next year.”
Mr Harris has welcomed the intervention from the district council into this but also its support for the club’s activities to promote angling to youngsters.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “Our framework contractors are planning to begin the repairs next week. It has not been possible to start sooner due to the presence of nesting birds which are protected by law.”
“We estimate it will take approximately nine weeks to repair the two breaches and the area of bank that has slipped.”
“Our framework contractors will be delivering the repair. The repair will involve installing compacted clay to fill the void. Geogrid will be added to provide additional reinforcement to the bank slope before it is finished with topsoil and grass seed. Whilst the main breach is being repaired, we will need to lower water levels in the River Welland for approximately two weeks to allow the repair work to be undertaken. The levels will be restored as soon as possible.”
“We understand how difficult this has been for the local community. We heard this first hand from landowners during engagement sessions held at the start of July. During these sessions we explained what had happened, why the repairs had been delayed and our plans going forward. In addition to the repairs, we are working on contingency plans to ensure we able to evacuate water quickly, if required in the future. We are also developing a project to explore the future use of the Washes for managing flood risk to reflect the changing climate. We will be engaging with the local community throughout this project.”