YP Letters: Don't let Yorkshire be sunk by short-sightedness of planners

NEWS items have reported on proposed flood defence measures. The proposals, as reported, are a cause of some concern. For example in Boston, Lincolnshire, it was stated a tidal surge barrier was to be installed at a cost of £100m.

The proposal, as reported, appears to be repeating the same mistakes made by the Environment Agency (EA) on the River Hull tidal surge barrier. If all of the drainage problems associated with the River Hull had been taken into consideration, it is certain the barrier would have been very different and millions of pounds could have been saved. I would urge the residents in the Boston area to make sure the proposed flood works meet their needs.

Over £1bn has already been spent by the EA on raising the tidal defences of the 240km banks around the Humber Estuary. The proposed tidal surge barrier between the city of Hull and the River Humber, at an estimated cost of £42m, is yet another example of a misguided EA policy. The higher the river banks, the higher the potential water level within those banks, and in consequence the latent force within the impounded water is truly enormous. The EA is giving water power which, if released, could cause damage that costs more than Brexit.