The South Holderness Internal Drainage Board (IDB) and Environment Agency (EA) have obtained the rocks required to repair part of the Humber Bank near Easington following a meeting with MP Graham Stuart and local councillors earlier this week.
Last month, Storm Lilian hit the East Riding with 70mph winds, which resulted in damage and displacement of flood defences across the Humber Bank.
The stretch of the bank from Easington to Kilnsea was the worst affected, leaving the nearby farmland vulnerable to flooding in the event of a future storm or high tide. If the bank floods, then the salt water could ruin the arable farmland, damaging the soil for the foreseeable future.
Mr Stuart was made aware of this pressing issue by South East Holderness ward councillor Sean McMaster, who has been in regular contact with the Environment Agency and the IDB to discuss how to resolve this urgently. Both agencies agreed with Cllr McMaster that the bank needed to be repaired, but funding was the issue.
After hearing about this issue, Mr Stuart convened a meeting of concerned local residents, South East Holderness ward councillors Sean McMaster and Lyn Healing, Helen Todd, Humber strategic manager for the Environment Agency, and Ralph Ward and Peter Lount from the South Holderness IDB. During the meeting held on site they discussed how the MP could help them obtain the resources they required to carry out these vital repairs.
Yesterday Mr Stuart received confirmation that the IDB had obtained the rocks it requires to restore the flood defence, and that it is awaiting approval to carry out the work. Mr Stuart said he would remain in regular contact with the councillors, IDB and EA to help ensure the work is completed promptly.
Cllrs Sean McMaster and Lyn Healing said: “We were very pleased to have Graham come and meet with us and members of the Environment Agency, drainage board and concerned residents at the Humber Bank, Easington.
“Local farmers and residents have been raising concerns about the condition of the bank for some time, and we are incredibly pleased to see that vital repairs will be carried out. We are also grateful to the Environment Agency for organising the work so quickly in partnership with the drainage board.
“Securing the bank is vital and we will continue to work with the Environment Agency locally to ensure that the monitoring of the bank is continued and repairs are carried out regularly.”
Ms Todd said: “We are grateful that this issue has been brought to our attention and we are working with the local Internal Drainage Board to enable temporary repairs to be undertaken to the flood defence. We will keep both the councillors and Graham Stuart MP up to date with our work.
“We are very aware that Storm Lilian will not be the last to hit our region, and we are seeking additional funding to carry out further work in the area to reduce the risk of flooding to homes and farmland across Beverley and Holderness.
“We cannot protect everyone from flooding, so its important people understand their flood risk and are prepared. Visit gov.uk/prepare-for-flooding to see what action you can take.”
Mr Ward said: “Thank you to Graham for facilitating this meeting.
“We are pleased that the required rocks have been obtained and will work with the Environment Agency to start the repairs as soon as possible.
“I will keep Graham and the councillors updated with how this work progresses and look forward to seeing the Bank restored.”
Mr Stuart said: “When I heard from Cllrs Sean McMaster and Lyn Healing that some of the rock flood defences have washed away, endangering farmland near Easington, I quickly made arrangements to visit on Monday to see what we could do to sort it out.
“It’s clear we need to get more, and larger, rocks in place to hold back the sea from ruining the adjacent farmland, and we had a productive meeting to work out how this can be done.
“I’m pleased that these rocks have been obtained and will receive regular updates on the project to ensure it is completed so that local people have peace of mind that their land is protected from future storms.”
