Farmers say flood waters could kill business
FARMERS in Hesketh Bank fear they could lose their livelihoods as flooding continues to ravage their land.
One family say they have already lost their winter crops as a result of flooding from Storm Ciara and now worry their business could soon stop being viable.
Henry Scambler, of H J Scambler on Shore Road, has been farming on Hesketh Bank Marsh for more than 60 years but the land has increasingly suffered over the last decade after the Environment Agency (EA) stopped dredging nearby rivers and water courses.
Henry’s daughter, Nicola Webster, told the Advertiser: “It’s been going on for years and the Environmental Agency should be clearing the ditches and the rivers.
“I know a few farmers have been affected, my dad has lost all his winter cabbages. It happened in February and it’s happened again, it’s very frequent.
“We’ve been fighting and fighting and we want the Environment Agency to do what they should. “All these farmers are losing their livelihoods and they’re not going to last if it carries on. It’s been going on for years and the Environment Agency should be clearing the ditches and the rivers.”
The Scambler family say this decision has led to ever-increasing problems and argue the EA should resume clearing the waterways to prevent farms in the area
going out of business. They say the problem has continued to get worse over the last eight years, during which time more and more houses have been built in the neighbouring villages, adding more strain to the drainage networks.
They are now demanding more be done to prevent flood water from Tarleton and Hesketh Bank saturating their farms.
But a spokesman for the EA told the Advertiser that it no longer carries out such work but can allow farmers to do so themselves. She said: “Farmers can submit for a permit to dredge the rivers by their land.”
Mary Scambler, Henry’s wife, argues that it’s unfair to farmers who would have to pay for a permit and incur the costs of machinery, equipment and workers.
“Why should we take on their responsibilities? Of course they’re responsible.
“If we are going to do it, we’ve got to get a permit but why should we pay?”
She added: “We shouldn’t have to pay for someone to do and for a permit. We can’t afford it but this is what we’re up against.
“The farmers here would say why would we have to pay to maintain the water courses when it’s the Environment Agency’s responsibility and pay for a permit.”
Katherine Fletcher, the MP for the South Ribble constituency which included Hesketh Bank and Tarleton, recently told the Advertiser that flooding is among her main priorities. She has recently met with farmers on the marsh including the Scambler family and also visited Tarleton village when flood water filled homes and businesses last month.
But the Conservative MP warned there will be no quick fixes and says agencies including Lancashire County Council, United Utilities and the Environment Agency must work together for long term solutions.