One year after Storm Babet fresh riverbank repair work takes place at Fiskerton near Lincoln

It comes after many people there were evacuated a year ago

Work taking place at Fiskerton
Author: Andy MarshPublished 18th Oct 2024

Parts of the river bank at Fiskerton near Lincoln damaged by Storm Babet almost a year ago are being repaired

Some people had to evacuate their homes as a precaution in case of flooding.

Nearly two months worth of rain fell in just 24 hours last October - and led to some of the land 'slipping' on the river bank.

It's been almost a year - and now heavy machinery is onsite to reinforce the 'slips' of land on the bank.

It's thought the work will take around three months to complete.

In some cases those water levels and that rainfall will exceed the design of our flood defences

James Brackenbury is from the Environment Agency in Lincolnshire - we spoke to him about the work.

He told us "What we're doing is not only putting the bank back to the same height as it was before the damage happened here but we're also strengthening those areas where the damage occurred so it will be stronger than it was before."

"It led to a lot of damage - not just around our area of the Environment agency but also across the country so we've had to prioritise our work programmes."

"In some cases those water levels and that rainfall will exceed the design of our flood defences - that's why it's really important for people to understand their personal flood risk and takes steps to prepare for flooding."

It was a scary time

We also spoke to Guy from Fiskerton.

Fortunately he wasn't evacuated himself after Storm Babet but says it was a difficult time for everyone there.

He says: "During the day you can watch and see the water level but at night it's quite scary."

"I hope we don't go through that again."

He works for a lady who needed to evacuate during the storm.

"Her family rallied around as did most of the people around here."

"I know quite a few residents who moved out and went to stay with family or friends or went further back where the flood water wasn't so bad."

"It was a scary time."

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