Flood bosses 'care more about voles' than people, MP

The MP for a town affected by flooding has said the Environment Agency cares more about "badgers and water voles" than about flood victims.

Richard Tice, the Reform MP for Boston and Skegness, said there were "serious questions" to be asked of the agency in charge of flood prevention.

His comments came after around 40 homes were flooded in Wyberton, on the outskirts of Boston.

The Environment Agency said protecting "people and communities" was its "top priority", but added it had to obey laws protecting nature.

Dozens of homes were flooded when the South Forty Foot Drain in Boston overtopped on Monday night.

Richard Tice MP said he was "gutted" for people who had "experienced flooding physically, and also the fear of it".

"I think there are serious questions, once again, to be asked of the Environment Agency because I think people in Boston reasonably thought with the new flood barrier that's been installed at a multi-million pound cost that the job was sorted."

The Environment Agency completed a £100m tidal flood barrier in Boston in 2020, after flooding in the town in 2013.

The barrier is to protect against tidal surges, not flooding from rivers.

But some local residents have criticised the closure of a pumping station designed to reduce flooding.

Richard Tice said there were "real questions about this" that he wanted to "get to the bottom of".

Mr Tice said he was commissioning an independent expert to look into why the flooding happened.

"The Environment Agency is failing to dredge the rivers properly and the priorities of badgers and water voles on river banks are treated more seriously than the welfare of residents, households and businesses and that's completely unacceptable."

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said they had seen "record river levels" this week "due to heavy rainfall, snowmelt and frozen ground run-off."

"We know the devastating impact that flooding can have, which is why protecting people and communities is our top priority.

"However we have to abide by the law when maintaining our flood defences, such as following the Protection of Badgers Act which protects badgers and their setts."

It also added that it did dredge rivers, but that it was not "always the best long-term solution because rivers can quickly silt-up again, increasing flood risk."

The agency previously said a "rigorous study" was carried out between 2012 and 2016 before the pumping station was decommissioned and a lock and sluice could discharge "the same if not more water".

Analysis by Paul Murphy, BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Environment Correspondent

Maintaining the watercourses and the defences that stop them flooding is an expensive, demanding job.

Especially when climate change continues to throw record rainfall into the county.

This drainage network is also home to a variety of natural life including badgers and voles

Before this can be disturbed by diggers or altered at all, there must be government permission…which isn't always given.

But questions remain about whether wildlife is enjoying too much protection and human settlement too little.

This debate is especially active in flood prone areas - where vulnerable homeowners believe they are taking second place to the needs of the natural world.

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