Flooding Turns Farmer s Home Into An Island Only Accessible By BOAT
A young farmer has been left more than £1million out of pocket after his fields were flooded by eight-foot deep water when a river burst its banks. Henry Ward, 33, and his heavily pregnant wife Emma are expecting their first child together this month but instead of preparing excitedly for the big day, the farmer is worried about how he will provide for PRAGMATICPLAY his family. Despite living almost 45 miles from the coast, his Lincolnshire farm has been an island only accessible by boat for the last six months, an experience he described as 'soul-destroying'. He lost £35,000 overnight in October last year, when the Barlings Eau river burst its banks in two places during Storm Babet, flooding his farm and destroying his high-value wheat, rapeseed and vining pea crops.
Today, the fields his family has farmed for 70 years are still flooded and he faces a year without a harvest, meaning he will lose more than £100,000 in revenue. Meanwhile, the £1million house he rented out on the farm has been left 'worthless', with his tenant forced to evacuate because of the flood. The heartbroken expectant father told MailOnline the last six months have been 'horrific' and slot gacor maxwin hari ini 'soul-destroying'. He is now pleading with the Environment Agency to ditch 'warm words' in favour of some action.
Father-to-be Henry Ward, 33, (pictured with his wife Emma) has been left £1million out of pocket by his farm being flooded His farm has been turned into an island surrounded by floodwater — and the only way to reach it is by boat Mr Ward's farm first flooded back in October (pictured) but the floodwater has remained for six months, ruining his crops It has also rendered the £1million house he rents out 'worthless'. Pictured: Mr Ward on his boat with the farm and house behind him In some places the water is eight feet deep.
By going a whole year without a harvest, Mr Ward will lose out on £100,000 of revenue Yet just around the corner is the Environment Agency's 'bone dry' flood reservoir (pictured behind Mr Ward), which was supposed to save businesses from floods He said: 'It's very frustrating. That's Grade One soil — you can grow anything on that land, but now it's too risky to farm. 'I'm not able to earn a living from [the farm].
Fences ruined, debris all over the farm, go.id the soil will be dead. It will need a lot of work to get that land back in a fit state to farm. 'It's soul-destroying. Every day you see it and you think, How am I meant to make a living and support my family? 'Mentally it has been horrific. It's gone on for months. 'We are going to see this more often. Climate change is coming. We need to set something up properly.' Mr Ward's farm first flooded in 2019, which prompted the Environment Agency to spend £3.5million repairing the riverbank.
In the same year, the Environment Agency proudly declared it had been operating flood reservoirs that could hold more than 210 million cubic feet and protect 7,000 homes and businesses in Lincoln. The plan was that floodwater would be diverted from rivers into the designated Environment Agency field.
