Watercourse to be dredged as part of maintenance study

The Environment Agency has selected a two-kilometre stretch of the Burstwick Drain as one of six schemes nationally to evaluate the effectiveness of maintenance.

The Agency stopped its 10-year rolling maintenance programme in the North East in the 1990s but since the floods of 2007 has faced repeated calls for more dredging. However it is constrained both by finances and environmental regulations which protect species like water voles.

During the floods, much of the silt in Burstwick Drain was washed into the Humber, but parts have since clogged up.

The work on the stretch from the eastern limits of Hedon to where the watercourse flows into the River Humber, will involve removing silt and stripping back vegetation, but leaving margins for wildlife.

National Farmers' Union secretary for Holderness Ed Davey said he and all the other parties involved – from parish councils to flood forum representatives – wanted pro-active change, adding: "We need this to be an independent scientific review and we need it to be objective.

"What we don't want is consultants and contractors employed by the Environment Agency conducting research without it necessarily being independent and without third parties having the opportunity to make their point."

Project manager Phil Walker said it was important that local people were happy "with the results and the results are credible."

He added: "Burstwick Drain is important as it's a very flat drain and if it's blocked at the bottom it will give problems all the way upstream."

The water flows will be monitored before and after the trial.