Weed boat too small to clear drainsay locals worried by flooding fears

Alexandra Wood

RESIDENTS fear a boat may be too “weedy” to take on a clogged up East Riding watercourse.

A small Environment Agency boat is cutting pockets of reeds along the Burstwick Drain, in Holderness. The 2km stretch near Hedon Haven has been selected as one of six schemes nationally to evaluate the effectiveness of maintenance.

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A long-reach excavator is to scoop out areas of silt, but some locals believe the equipment won’t do the job properly.

Since the 2007 floods has faced repeated calls for more dredging. But wildlife considerations – such as the protection of watervoles – has become a major constraint.

Ron Smith, chairman of flood action group Burstwick United, said: “I’m told this is their normal reed-cutting boat but I was expecting something much bigger.

“The draft report is out at the end of March and the final report is due at the end of June and I can’t see how in that time-scale, the work can be done.”

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Ralph Ward, the clerk to both the Keyingham and Ottringham drainage boards, said: “We are sceptical about the amount of work they are actually doing - but any little bit of help is better than nothing.”

An Environment Agency spokeswoman said they were using equipment which was appropriate for the job.