Flood Prevention

Right folks!! I'm on my soap box tonight and having a bitch about the lack of maintenance on our ditches and water courses by land owners and farmers.
I'm sick to the back teeth hearing excuses as to why they don't do any....
We hear...
1.Can't get rid of the debris taken from them..C**P! Burning is allowed or composting is available for large amounts....
2.Blocked ditches hold storm water back and stops flooding!?!?! C**P! Free flowing courses allow fields to drain continually and not become water logged sponges.
3.It's too expensive to buy the ditching machines.....C**P. Get off your ar**s and out of your machines , and how much do spades,wellingtons,hedging gloves and hedging hooks cost anyway?
Not that much more than my Grand Father and Uncle's cost when they used them. The work work wasn't subsidised then either ,but they still did it! Could it be they had Pride in their lands and a care for others ?

We were flooded as a direct result of non maintenance and it hurts to know nothing is being done to stop it happening again in the near future and no action is being taken against the guilty parties.
Yes we were insured and we will have to pay even more to stay insured,but nothing can compensate for the distress and loss of memories washed away thanks to incompetence.
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Ditches/

 

Pal,

On the Gwent side we have the CWIDB Caldicot and Wentlodge Internal drainadge board, they look after all the ditches across the gwent levels. The result is minimum flooding, excent bird habbitat and a manadged drainage systme. This is what is needed.

They employ several guys on a full time basis with extended boom 360s and ditching buckets , reed cutters, tractor flails etc. Fly tipped rubbish is promptly removed.

http://www.caldandwentidb.gov.uk/page.php?section=about



Sadly there is no sutch thing over gloucester side. When i was involved with farm work I used to dredge out the farm ditches with a JCB sitemaster, No need for specialist ditching machines.

This regular ditching paid dividens and it was noticable that waterlogging was kept minimal meaning we could graze for a longer season on what was austensibly floodplain. Most of the other farms didnt bother, same with polarding willows and cutting the growth around telegraph poles that the flail cant cut.

 

Nick I agree with you entirely. Your grandfather and uncle were land Managers whot took pride in what they do. It seems that modern day farmers and landowners are only in it for the money, and will only carry out this type of work if there`s an EU grant available.

 

Perhaps we could get some east europeans to do it for us.

Thats the usual farmers approach, as far as I see it.

Dont want to get the green wellies dirty:D

 

BTW, I dont think a systme of penalistaion is the answer, a sounder principle would be to set up internal drainadge boards like the one I linked too, charging this back via water rates.

With drainadge, Maintance is best cried out on a planned and cordinated basis as aposed to adhoc.

 

Thank you John:thumb:
Please folks...sign up and spread the word.
Wouldn't want anyone to suffer the trauma if it can be avoided..Have another look here..
http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=4162&highlight=water+world

 

Have signed Nick.

Would sign a hundred times if it was possible 'cos I think it disgraceful
that things are not being done to stop flooding happening again.

Jean

 

Signed pal:thumb: No one should have to go through all that misery and heartache, especially when it can be avoided. Good luck:thumb: 02

 

Done:thumb:

 

Signed it Nick:thumb:

 

I've signed too Nick. Blooming shame the way we are in this country. That's speaking nicely.

cheers