Humble sluice gates at Surfleet play a vital role in keeping South Holland safe
Many people will have wandered over a bridge for a picturesque riverbank walk without understanding its crucial significance to safety of homes and businesses in the area.
For nearly 200 years the sluice gates below the bridge over the Vernatts Drain in Surfleet have protected Spalding from being flooded by the sea.
Just seven miles from the coast, the gates - along with the man-made drainage channel, which leads into the tidal River Welland - play a vital role in ensuring the town survives thanks to the care of the Welland and The Deepings Internal Drainage Board.
The authority and its 23 strong team look after the 34,400 hectares of land and 600km of drains in the area.
Chief Executive Karen Daft said: “The sluice is very critical to Spalding as it would otherwise be affected with the sea coming inland.
“When the doors are shut nothing is going through – this really is a key structure for Spalding.
“Without it this stretch would be tidal all the way up to Pode Hole.
“Nearly everything that is manmade in this area otherwise wouldn’t be here – we couldn’t live or farm here as it would be boggy.
“We are able to live here because we have an artifically managed drainage system. If we didn’t have a drainage board we would be on boggy ground.”
The sluice gates were constructed back in 1857 by workers using handtools but they were built to last, which was shown to full effect when the sluice was drained in 2016.
Karen said: “The stones (which help make up the gate and its surrounding area) were brought here by horse and cart and have been here all that time.
“The base is made of timber. The wood was in really good condition. A few bits had been damaged by a ship’s anchor.
“We didn’t know what was down there as we didn’t have plans. Until we drained it we didn’t know what we were going to find.”
Operations engineer Nick Morris said there had been previous sluice gate prior to the current one but this had been destroyed.
He said of the current sluice gate: “It has served Spalding really well.”
The Vernatt’s Drain also plays an important role in protecting Spalding’s industrial and residential areas such as Wygate Park and leads up the sluice gates at Surfleet.
It was named after 17th century financial adventurer Sir Philibert Vernatti and would have also been created by hand. It was then expanded during the 1940s and 1960s.
Karen said of the sluice and drain: “We use it as a storage channel. As it goes past residential areas we like to get the water out. It acts like a big bath we can hold water here before releasing it into the Welland to go up to the sea.”
As this drain is vital to the security of Spalding, the IDB spends a great deal of time ensuring that it is in the best condition to ensure that water is moved away from the residential and industrial areas.
Part of this care includes removing vegetation from the channel – and this can only be done via two cutting boats.
During cutting season, which runs from July to December, the two boats will travel down the Vernatt’s and other channels. One boat is fitted with knives which cuts the vegetation in the drain. This is followed by the second boat which removes the cuttings from the drain and places them on the bankside.
Operations engineer Mr Morris said: “We have found that grass snakes use this for hibernation and nesting.”
Along with ensuring that the channels are able to take away water, the IDB also uses its land to play another vital role in conservation.
Marsh Orchids are thriving along the Vernatt’s bankside thanks to the maintenance undertaken by the board’s team plus there are owl boxes and other conservation methods along the channel.
A population of Sand Martins are also thriving as the IDB ensures that they have a suitable habitat along the bankside.
Karen said: “We work as a team and we have a lot of long-term staff who have a lot of experience.
“It is more of a way of life than a job.”