Rivers or Drainage ditches?

[Greenheart]

I was listening to a worrying discussion on BBC Radio 4s Farming programme today. Someone was saying that the heavy flooding in the UK for the last few years is a result of the environment agency not dredging rivers, letting trees grow on their banks & letting rivers & streams follow their natural course. I don't know how many of you can recall the 1950s & 60s when the then Rivers boards, removed riverside trees & dredged & straightened rivers. Rivers became little more than drainage ditches, totally devoid of fish & wildlife. The Environment agency spokesman answered to the effect that they put people before the environment. A very worrying answer. Personally I believe that a lot of flooding is due to excessive building of housing estates & industrial estates on former flood plains. Probably due to shady deals between corrupt councillors & dodgy developers.

[Fishing Forum Admin]

Down my way they always dug the drains out every octber before the floods and it worked. Also when the severn was used by commercial boats it was always being dredged. Must say as a kid I always caught loads of fish and now they say the severn is 3 foot shallower and if it continued it will get even worse !!

[John Marshall]

Originally Posted by Greenheart

Personally I believe that a lot of flooding is due to excessive building of housing estates & industrial estates on former flood plains.

I agree with you, plus in this area PORTSMOUTH WATER take water from streams and rivers and then sell it to France.

Oh, P/W is owned by a french company

[BoldBear]

Originally Posted by Greenheart

I was listening to a worrying discussion on BBC Radio 4s Farming programme today. Someone was saying that the heavy flooding in the UK for the last few years is a result of the environment agency not dredging rivers, letting trees grow on their banks & letting rivers & streams follow their natural course. I don't know how many of you can recall the 1950s & 60s when the then Rivers boards, removed riverside trees & dredged & straightened rivers. Rivers became little more than drainage ditches, totally devoid of fish & wildlife. The Environment agency spokesman answered to the effect that they put people before the environment. A very worrying answer. Personally I believe that a lot of flooding is due to excessive building of housing estates & industrial estates on former flood plains. Probably due to shady deals between corrupt councillors & dodgy developers.

I agree entirely with your views on this.
Do you remember when there were different regonal water authorities?
There were authorities upstream dredging and straightening rivers etc. and all that resulted in flooding lower down in another regions rivers.
It's a simple thing to do STOP BUILDING HOUSES AND FACTORIES ON FLOOD PLAINS, they've been flood plains for thousands of years for a reason.
If you want to live in the middle of featureless drains EMIGRATE because we don't want you Morons!!. (When will they learn???)

[barbelblanker]

I think it's more likely that the improper use of the river flood plain by man has caused the majority of issues.
The clue is in the name FLOOD and PLAIN. By damming in the river and concreting the river banks we try to control nature. As tragic as the floods were in America, they were caused by the collapse and overwhelming of man made structures. Sometimes we try to be King Cnut and realise too late that when nature roars , it roars to load for us to whimper loud enough. Not only that all the really good perch and chub swims get grubbed up.
Rant over!