Alconbury Brook Flood Group report for November 2021

Volunteers have now cleared 600m of brook bank and bed including most recently:

• 100m Bank 750m downstream of the flyover

• Bank just upstream of the flyover, both sides

• Bank near the Heritage Bridge

• 4 fallen trees between Alconbury and Alconbury Weston

The Environment Agency have carried out their annual maintenance of banks and reed spraying. In many places this has been done reasonably well but a number of stretches are less well done or have been missed altogether. We walked the brook from 800m downstream of Alconbury to Alconbury Weston with Chris Collin the EA manager. Chris Collin has committed to doing much of the outstanding bank clearance by Christmas, while Flood Group volunteers will do several other smaller sections.

An application for a grant has been made to the County Council for the Flood Group to clear banks adjacent to 2 and 6 High Street Alconbury and a brook bank common land strip adjacent to 2,4,6,8,10,12 and14 High Street Alconbury Weston.

The County Council have let us know that work will start on the Rusts Lane pumps on November 25th.

Volunteers dug out 4 grips on the School Lane ditch.

The Flood Group have adopted a 7 year plan which will be shared with Parish Councils as soon as possible for them to also adopt. 

The Flood Group have worked with several farmers upstream of Alconbury Weston. A plan including a number of leaky dams and off-line storage has been submitted to the internal drainage board for comment. Once all consents have been acquired the Flood Group hope to start work in January.

The Flood Group has a web-site (still being developed) and an email address: info@alconburybrookfloodgroup.uk.

The group will be circulating their first newsletter before the end of November to all residents in Alconbury, Alconbury Weston and Hamerton.