20-Jul-2006
- Disturbance to otters, grass snakes, slow worms
and other wildlife has been kept to a minimum
in the Mid-Devon village of Bampton where a new
flood defence scheme is taking shape.
A series of improvements including
the construction of flood embankments and floodwalls
are being carried out at Bampton to reduce the
risk of flooding to more than 90 local properties.
As part of the work the Environment
Agency has taken special steps to reduce any impact
on wildlife and ensure the new flood defence structures
blend in with their rural surroundings.
Environmentally friendly measures
include:
Surveying the river for signs
of otters to minimise disturbance. At least one
otter ‘spraint’ (dropping) was found during the
survey indicating the River Batherm and Shuttern
Brook are used by these shy and mainly nocturnal
creatures.
The erection of special fencing
around the construction site to prevent reptiles
such as grass snakes and slow worms from being
harmed.
Riverside vegetation was removed
before start of the bird nesting season to reduce
disturbance.
Protective fencing was erected around mature waterside
trees to protect them from damage during the construction
of defences.
Wild flower seeds will be sown
on the riverbank on completion of the improvements
to encourage insects and other wildlife.
Strawbales have been used to
stop silty water draining from the construction
site into the river.
The drive to use recycled construction
materials is also evident at Bampton where surplus
clay from a housing development in Exeter has
been used to construct part of a new flood embankment.
Stone from a local wall that had to be dismantled
has also been incorporated in the new scheme.
The defences include a stone-faced
Devon Bank that has been constructed using traditional
methods in keeping with surrounding farm buildings
and field boundaries. It was thought there may
have been an old waterside mill on the site, but
an archaeological survey that included the digging
of a trial trench failed to reveal any sign of
such a building.
‘Any flood defence scheme involves
a certain amount of disruption, but by taking
a little extra care and being sensitive to the
needs of local wildlife it is possible to get
the job done and keep disturbance to a minimum
,’ said Kevin Woodley for the Environment Agency.
Bampton has a long history of
flooding that occurs when the River Batherm and
Shutterton Brook overtop their banks during severe
weather.
Earlier this year improvements
were carried out to the surface water drainage
along Briton Street and repairs made to damaged
sections of wall on the River Batherm to improve
the flow of water through Bampton.
This work was jointly funded
by Devon County Council’s Tiverton Local Services
Group and the Environment Agency. The latest improvements
are being carried out by the Agency’s Operations
Delivery Team and involve the section upstream
of the bridge at Bampton.
Costing £240,000, the
project is a local levy scheme supported by the
South West Regional Flood Defence Committee. It
is due to be completed by the end of the autumn.
Mike Dunning
