The rise in serious flooding in Norfolk over the last few years is caused by a number of factors: climate change; new housing estates with inadequate drain infrastructure; a serious lack of maintenance of our rivers, drains, ditches and culverts; and a lack of clearly understood legal responsibilities. 

Traditionally, our rivers were maintained by the drainage boards and ditches by farmers and landowners to keep rainwater draining away. But with the Environment Agency now putting habitats ahead of drainage, and agencies like Anglian Water giving up riparian rights to maintain ditches and culverts, and councils powerless to force big developers to install proper drainage, we have a perfect storm – leading to the floods we have seen in the last few years, and last month in Attleborough where c100 homes were flooded and a handful are now flooding regularly.

That’s why, after the 2020 Christmas floods in Mid Norfolk – when many of us spent Christmas bailing out neighbours and on the phone to Anglian Water and the Fire Brigade, I set up the Mid Norfolk Flood Partnership with the 30 villages most affected to set out a simple set of practical actions required to stop flooding (see here and here).

I’m delighted Norfolk County Council adopted our recommendations in full and set up the Norfolk Strategic Flooding Alliance (see here), now chaired by Henry Cator, to implement the changes we need.

But we need to go further: we need a clearer set of legal obligations – with fines if necessary to fund compensation and remedial work – on large scale developers, on the Environment Agency, on water companies and any negligent landowners to maintain drain infrastructure.

That’s why I am writing to ministers again to highlight the need for greater emphasis on flooding and drainage in the planning system, requesting a meeting with them and their officials to discuss reforms of the riparian ownership legislation and this's vital point about holding developers, the EA, water companies and negligent landowners to account. 

One of the reasons for stepping back from the Government frontbench was to have more time here in Mid Norfolk to help tackle this. And to be able to introduce a Bill/legal reforms to the necessary planning rules to get this fixed. We cannot have households across Mid Norfolk continuing to be repeatedly flooded.  

Rest assured, I will keep on this – working with partners, such as Henry Cator at the NSFA, to ensure Mid Norfolk’s voice is being heard at the very highest levels.

To stay up to date with my flooding campaign, please visit my webpage here