Environment Agency urged to do more to protect Lancashire farmland from flooding

The Environment Agency's being urged to take action to help reduce flooding on Lancashire farmland, following one of the wettest Julys on record.

Andrew Pope is a tenant farmer in Bretherton and says a number of fields that he farms have been waterlogged 3 times this year alone, causing irreversible damage to crops on each occasion.

He believes water is unable to flow away fast enough during periods of heavy rainfall: "We've seen a lot more flash flooding in the last few years - water coming to the area very quickly and not managing to get away. I've had fields flooded three times this year covering about 20 acres, where normally that would only happen about once every three years.

"We lost all of the straw this time, there's stress and financial loss involved - and you have to restructure your cropping management plans."

Mr Pope and his family have been farming in Bretherton since the 1950s and he's now calling for the local brooks and rivers to be better maintained, in order to maximise the flow of water: "Personally, I think the main cause of flooding is that we have a river network from where we're based which meanders approximately 8 miles before it gets to the Ribble Estuary. The Wymott Brook goes into the River Lostock, the Lostock goes into the River Yarrow, the Yarrow makes its way to the River Douglas and eventually that goes into the Ribble Estuary.

"All of these rivers need cleaning out and dredging, they need making back to the same width that they used to be. There are bridges over these rivers that used to have three arches but now there's only one arch working because the sides have slumped in.

"The Environment Agency needs to be accountable. If your neighbour had an overflowing gutter on their property and it was flooding your garden; you'd want it sorting out. It's the same with the Environment Agency and what they're doing to farmers. They have to be answerable."

An Environment Agency Spokesperson said: “After experiencing a record-breaking wet July, impacts have been seen across Lancashire with flooded properties and land from the intense downpours.

“To protect homes and business, the Environment Agency has used pumps and flood storage basins including Croston and Garstang during the wet weather. We continue to carry out routine maintenance, including undertaking some local dredging.

“We are working closely with landowners to address the impacts of climate change and reduce the risk of flooding, providing information on setting up Internal Drainage Boards and how farmers and landowners can apply for permits to dredge their own land.”

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