THE low lying nature of the land in South Holland is both a boon and a bane when it comes to flooding and insurance against it.
As a result of the nature of the land, South Holland might be considered safe when it comes to flood risk, with 631km of water course, 24km of pipe line as well as 14 pumping stations ensuring rainwater runs off fields into drains and out to sea.
The county is unique, with a number of drainage boards across most of Lincolnshire closely monitoring this process, including the Welland & Deepings Internal Drainage Board that covers the area from Stamford to Frampton.
However, the Environment Agency and other experts who have collected flood risk data have taken the view that this area might be subject to flooding, according to Steve Barber, insurance agent for NFU Mutual. This means new customers of any agency may be unable to get cover included in their house insurance – and existing customers may have to pay more for insurance against flooding in future.
Steve said: “The problem in this area is also its strength. While it is very flat and so you don’t get the Boscastle effect, so if there is an issue, water will spread over a large area, but at the same time because we are low lying there is a potential for flooding.”
Karen Daft, chief executive of the Welland & Deepings Internal Drainage Board, said: “We think we are very safe (from flooding) in Lincolnshire. For years and years the drainage boards have kept the drains cleared. I would never say flooding was impossible, but we have exceedingly good defences.”
However, Karen said a lot of people were recklessly dumping grass cuttings and rubbish into drains, which then created a flood risk. The agency has cameras on hot spots and culprits will be prosecuted once evidence is collected.