Environment Agency drainage
specialists will be giving guidance at the
Worthing B&Q store next week to customers
who live near watercourses and want to make
improvements to their properties.
To help explain the
rights and responsibilities of building
and living near a watercourse, members of
the Environment Agency’s Development and
Flood Risk team will be on hand to talk
to customers at the Lyons Farm store in
Downlands Business Park, Worthing from 9am
to 1pm on Wednesday 17 March.
If you are considering
extending your home, repairing or altering
riverbanks or carrying out any work close
to water on your property, you will need
to contact the Environment Agency first
to discuss your plans. The Environment Agency
takes many environmental factors into consideration
including flood risk, wildlife conservation
and the reshaping of the river and landscape.
The benefits of helping
to look after the watercourse include:
• reducing the risk
of flooding
• minimising the risk of injury to you or
your neighbours and our staff who are trying
to help
• reducing the costs of the work, the money
you pay in council tax and the tax on your
wages
• improving the habitat for nature
• simply making it more attractive for everyone
To also help understand
what is involved, the Environment Agency
has produced a booklet called Living on
The Edge that can be downloaded from www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood
Kim Smith of the Environment
Agency said; “We want to help B&Q customers
who live next to streams and rivers understand
what they can do to reduce the risk of flooding,
and advise them on methods to deal with
rainfall runoff on their property.
“Talking to us early
avoids any delays and costly mistakes, so
it is important that we all work together
to protect and enhance the natural environment
of our rivers and streams whilst minimising
the risk of flooding.”
Rachel Bradley, B&Q’s
Social Responsibility Manager says: “We’ve
all seen the dreadful news items in recent
years showing images of properties severely
damaged by water and flooding.
“In many such extreme
cases there is little homeowners could have
done to prevent the flood damage caused
to their homes but, if you are considering
updating your property and live close to
water, getting the right advice and planning
ahead can significantly reduce the risk
of your property flooding.
“That’s why we’re pleased
to be working with the Environment Agency
whose representatives will be visiting our
stores to talk to people about what advice
is available to them and how they can take
steps to secure their homes, reduce the
risk of flooding and minimise any damage
or disruption caused.”
There is also a fact
sheet available called Buying or building
near water? which offers advice and guidance
on how to apply for consent and explains
what is classified as a main river or ordinary
watercourse. For copies please send an email
for the attention of the Solent & South
Downs Development & Flood Risk Team
to: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk.
+ More
Major scientific study
launched into iconic Welsh fish’s life
A major new 1.8m GBP
scientific study, the Celtic Sea Trout Project,
has been launched by Elin Jones AM, the
Rural Affairs Minister in Bangor, North
Wales.
The study aims to discover
more about the life and pressures on the
sewin in the Irish Sea and in rivers and
estuaries across Wales and Ireland.
The study is being led
by experts at Bangor University's School
of Ocean Sciences and Biological Sciences
working with Irish partners (led by the
Central Fisheries Board of Ireland).
The information will
be used to guide stock management policy
and measures to increase the number of sewin
in Welsh rivers.
The Celtic Sea Trout
Project will build a comprehensive genetic
database of young sewin caught in rivers,
monitor the diet and movement of the sewin
at sea and will result in a comprehensive
investigation into the links between the
environment, climate change and the sewin.
Anglers and netsmen
will be a key part of the project sending
scales for DNA sampling, measurements of
the sewin they catch and where they caught
them using a pack specifically designed
for the project.
The number of sewin
or sea trout in Welsh rivers, and across
Ireland and the UK, have been noticeably
declining in recent years.
Work to improve their
habitat, access to spawning grounds and
limits on fishing in rivers have been put
in place by Environment Agency Wales and
the Welsh Assembly Government to improve
their numbers. However, the numbers of sewin
migrating up Welsh rivers is still a cause
for concern.
It is a draw to visiting
anglers with Wales having some of the best
sewin rivers in Europe bringing in vital
funds to the tourist industry in rural areas.
It also supports a number of traditional
historic net fisheries in Wales, like the
coracle fishermen, providing an income for
the fishermen and a further attraction for
tourists.
It is estimated that
recreational sport fishing in all its different
forms generates some £148m a year
to the Welsh economy.
“Elin Jones, Rural Affairs
Minister Welsh Assembly Government, said:
“I am extremely grateful
for the invitation to launch the Celtic
Sea Trout Project at Bangor. Wales has long
recognised the social, economic and cultural
value and importance of sea trout or Sewin,
as it is better known in Wales! The investigation
conducted as part of the project into sea
trout will contribute towards achieving
one of the goals of the Wales Fisheries
Strategy of maintaining healthy fish stocks
supporting sustainable fisheries for future
generations.“
Chris Mills, Director,
Environment Agency Wales, said:
“Whilst, elsewhere the
salmon is described as the king of fish,
in Wales the sewin is even more highly prized.
It provides a unique fishing experience
drawing in fishermen from across the UK
and further afield and has also provided
an income for generations of traditional
netsmen.
“We along with the Welsh
Assembly Government and many rivers trusts
have worked to improve the quality of rivers
and create better habitats for sewin to
spawn – but we can and will do more.
“This major study will
give us a valuable insight into the lifecycle
of the sewin, specifically out at sea, so
we can develop further plans to improve
the numbers migrating up rivers around the
Irish Sea.”
This study is part-funded
by the Ireland-Wales INTERREG IVA programme,
with the Welsh Assembly Government, Environment
Agency Wales and Governments in Ireland
providing the match-funding. A number of
rivers trusts and organisations in Wales,
Ireland, Scotland and North West England
will also contribute samples to the project.
