Farmer frustration at floods for fourth time in 14 months

A Lincolnshire farmer is calling for more action from the government after his farm was flooded for the fourth time in just 14 months.

Charles Anyan, who runs a 350ha arable farm in Springthorpe, near Gainsborough, discovered that 24ha of his land was submerged on Monday, 6 January.

This is the fourth instance of severe flooding since October 2023, and despite efforts to reduce the impact, the waters have once again wreaked havoc on his farm.

See also: Flooding devastates farmland in Greater Manchester area

This time, Mr Anyan had opted to plant a NUM3 Legume Fallow crop under Defra’s Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) rather than a cereal crop or an even riskier break crop, such as oilseed rape.

He had also added 24m buffer zones around field edges to encourage biodiversity and reduce flood risk.

It’s a bit wet in #Springthorpe again 🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

4th time in 14 months we have suffered flooding 🤬🤬 pic.twitter.com/QVeqS1jJfX

— charles anyan Ⓜ️ (@CharlesAnyan) January 6, 2025

However, the increased rainfall and run-off from the growing development in Gainsborough, combined with overflowing drains and the River Till, led to more water than the buffer zones could manage.

“It’s frustrating that the increased amount of water due to the growth of Gainsborough and an increase in concrete is leading to more run-off,” Mr Anyan said. “Once again, we find ourselves under water, which leads to significant damage to my business.”

‘Sacrificial lamb’

Mr Anyan expressed concern that farmers like him are being used as a “sacrificial lamb” to prevent flooding of homes and businesses. “I suppose it’s better that my land floods than thousands of homes,” he said, “but a solution still needs to be found.”

The farmer is calling for greater investment in river maintenance and drainage systems, calling on the Environment Agency and local internal drainage boards to act more decisively.

“More resources should be allocated to maintaining the riverbanks and clearing the drains to prevent this from happening again,” he added.

Malcolm Parr, another arable farmer based near Gainsborough, echoed Mr Anyan’s frustrations, saying that 20ha of his farm near Blyton was also submerged. Fortunately, this land is fallow and intended for spring cropping.

He believes the lack of drainage work and increased development has worsened the flooding. “There’s more development and tarmac now, which means water flows faster and more run-off occurs,” Mr. Parr said.

“If they had spent the money on flood defences and clearing drains instead of focusing on net-zero goals, we’d all be better off.”

Flood-hit farmer, flooded again

Arable farmer Henry Ward, dubbed “Britain’s most flooded farmer”, reported that 28ha of his land at Short Ferry Farm near Lincoln is also submerged. He expressed concerns about the possibility of further riverbank breaches that could flood his house and yard, leaving the land too risky for livestock.

Flooding at Manor Farm © Malcolm Parr

While the Rural Payments Agency confirmed that Mr Ward would still receive payment for his winter bird food despite the flooding through force majeure, he fears further breaches of the Barlings Eau riverbank could result in 2m of water, making the land unmanageable.

The Labour government has pledged £2.4bn for flood defences over 2024-25 and 2025-26 in the Autumn Budget. However, the government has warned of “significant funding pressures” that may require a review of these plans after 2025.

Farmers are urging that the government use this funding more effectively for regular river maintenance to address the long-term issue of flooding, which continues to threaten their livelihoods and the local agricultural industry.

There were almost 200 flood warnings in place across England on Tuesday 7 December, meaning flooding is expected, and 300 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.