Farmers get OK to dredge Duckow

Local farmers have been given the go-ahead to dredge the River Duckow which runs by Coxbank and Adderley.

It follows a government decision to relax rules so that farmers can dredge rivers themselves after the Environment Agency confirmed it did not have enough money in its budget to cover the work.

Seven rivers across England have been chosen for the pilot including the Duckow which runs from Market Drayton and joins the River Weaver at Brown's Bank.

Currently, landowners have to apply for permission from the Environment Agency to carry out maintenance work on rivers crossing their land.

But under this pilot scheme, farmers and landowners in areas at risk of flooding will be allowed to carry out work to dredge watercourses without the need to obtain a consent.

The Environment Agency will oversee the pilots, which will last 12 months, and the findings will be used to develop a new improved system of consents as part of the reforms being introduced in the Water Bill.

Landowners and farmers can start river maintenance activities from Monday. The news has been welcomed by the Shropshire branch of the NFU.

Sarah Faulkner, NFU regional environment adviser, said: "We held a rivers and watercourse maintenance meeting back in March, at Hodnet, to discuss this issue."

"We are pleased they are now seeking to reduce red tape and make it easier for farmers to maintain watercourses themselves, This will help those with land alongside the Duckow."

Other rivers in the scheme include the River Brue in Somerset, the River Idle in Nottinghamshire and the Upper Thames in Oxfordshire.

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