Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Good morning, people of Somerset. It's Daniel Mumby here, your local democracy reporter,
00:06and welcome to the King's Sedgmore Drain, one of the main artificial rivers and major
00:11flood prevention channels on this part of the Somerset Levels. You join me just outside
00:16the tiny village of Chedzoy, not far from the Peasy Farm Shop, where I've just had a
00:21delicious hot chocolate. And for the next 20 or 30 minutes or so, we're going to be
00:24walking slowly down this part of the National Cycle Network, talking about the King's Sedgmore
00:29Drain, talking about flood prevention in general, specifically what the Somerset Rivers
00:35Authority and the Environment Agency and the Somerset Drainage Board Consortium is going
00:40to do to make this stretch of the King's Sedgmore Drain much safer in the years and decades
00:45ahead, and in doing so, protecting dozens, if not hundreds, of residential properties
00:51and businesses in this part of rural Somerset. As usual with these live streams, if you have
00:57any questions, drop them in the comments section. I'll get to as many of them live
01:00as possible. Any that I don't get round to, or that I can't provide an answer to immediately,
01:06we will look into retrospectively. And we're essentially going to walk all the way along
01:11this section of the NCN, down to the car park on Ward Lane, stopping just before there,
01:18and talking all about flood prevention. Some of it may get a little technical at times,
01:22so please bear with me, but I'll try and make this accessible as humanly possible. And obviously
01:27if we run into any other dog walkers or cyclists, please bear with us. It's nice to see so many
01:31people using this wonderful path. So, if you are not a native of Somerset, if you're not
01:38familiar with this section of our wonderful county, and like me, this is the first time
01:43you've actually explored this area in the flesh, let me give you a little bit of a whistle-stop
01:48tour of the King's Sedgmore Drain and the flood prevention system in Somerset. Now,
01:55the King's Sedgmore Drain, named after the King's Sedgmore Moors, which lie in that direction
02:00towards the Polden Hills, there has been a flood relief channel here in one form or another
02:06since the 1790s. But in its most recent form, it was constructed and improved in the mid-20th
02:13century. And essentially, it serves alongside the River Sowie to take water away from major
02:21Somerset rivers out of the Parrot, and in this case, the River Carey, taking it away
02:27from low-lying areas on the levels of moors, most of the moors is low-lying, of course,
02:33and taking it out into the estuary of the Parrot and the Bristol Channel, ensuring that
02:41communities do not have to deal with large quantities of water coming off the levels
02:45and off the Polden Hills after heavy rain. Just let that gentleman go past. So, the River Sowie
02:56begins just outside Langport at a place called Monksley's Clyce, which is a bit of a mouthful
03:03to get your head around, but essentially that is a huge sluice, for want of a better word,
03:10and when large quantities of water are coming from upstream of the Parrot, that's opened,
03:15and the Sowie carries water away from the Parrot into the King's Sedgmore Drain, which also takes
03:22water from the Carey flowing through a different part of Somerset, and that carries this water
03:29all the way under the M5 past the villages of Chedsoy and Bradney and all manner of other
03:36settlements to the east of Bridgewater, under the M5, coming out at the Dunball Sluice just
03:42about near Junction 23. From there it goes back into the Parrot and out to sea in the Bristol
03:47Channel because that section of the Parrot is largely tidal, and it's essentially designed
03:54to ensure that the Parrot doesn't have to take huge amounts of water on its own. Of course,
04:00the Parrot also has to deal with all the water coming from the western catchment because the
04:05tone flows into it at Borough Bridge, and it's a way of ensuring that whole villages and towns
04:11aren't flooded and cut off following heavy rainfall, and we all know about the dangers
04:17of surface water runoff with agriculture and new housing developments. You can see the water in the
04:21KSD, to get down with the kids, is pretty high today. We've had scattered showers on the approach
04:29here, but fortunately plenty of blue sky looming on the horizon. Now, the reason that we're talking
04:37about the Kingsledge Moor drain today is because the maintenance of the KSD historically falls to
04:45the Environment Agency, but if you've been following our coverage since the disastrous
04:51floods of 2013-14, and if you've lived in Somerset since the 1990s, you will know that the Environment
04:58Agency's budget has been under increasing strain, and as a result a lot of the routine maintenance of flood
05:05defences like this, and in the Parrot itself, whether it's actually dredging the rivers or just
05:11cutting back a lot of the vegetation that's on the surrounding farmland, you can see lots of
05:15trees and brambles and other thickets and long grass, a lot of that has fallen by the wayside.
05:22Not necessarily through deliberate negligence, but just money needing to be spent on more urgent
05:28projects elsewhere, or so the Environment Agency would state. Sorry for this issue of the slow connection, I'm already having a
05:34shout because of all the wind. Please bear with me. I will just let this lady go past and then I'll continue with my long-winded explanation.
05:44Good morning. If you've only just joined me, it's Daniel Mumby here, your local democracy reporter. We are out on National
05:56Cycle Network Route 33, following the southern bank of the King's Searchmoor drain outside Bridgewater, and we're talking about flood
06:04prevention, which may not be the most natural topic of conversation at the height of summer, but it will be winter again before too long, and we've had one of the
06:14wettest winters on record this year. I wouldn't be surprised if we get another very wet one in due course. So I was talking about the EA
06:24historically being responsible for looking after the King's Searchmoor drain, and they actually have a depot not far from here up in the village of
06:33Bradney near Easy Farm Shop. I'm not being sponsored by them, but it was nice to have a little break there before we started streaming. But since 2015, the
06:46Somerset Rivers Authority, which was created in the aftermath of those 13-14 floods, has been looking at various ways using its precept of around £3 million a year,
06:58funded through your council tax, to carry out additional maintenance on the Sowie, the King's Searchmoor drain, the Parrot and the Tone, through various
07:07measures, ranging from conventional dredging, where you essentially put a digger on the side of the banks with the farmer's permission, and they excavate land
07:17from the riverbed, get rid of the silt, or more modern methods like water injection dredging, where you actually force water into the riverbed, you put the
07:27silt into suspension, and then that gets carried out on the outgoing tide. There have been various trials going on of that using Dutch companies over the last few
07:36years, and you may well see those in effect again very shortly. But this section of the King's Searchmoor drain, between Chedzowie and Bradney, like I say, we're about
07:50two, three miles outside of Bridgewater, very much in the rural hinterlands of Bordrip and south of the Polden Hills. This section is one of the last to be
08:02upgraded, and for want of a better phrase, refurbished. It makes it sound like we're doing up-house rather than raising the banks and dealing with overgrown
08:09vegetation. Now back in March, at a meeting of the Somerset Rivers Authority Board in Bridgewater, there was, shall we say, a disagreement or a difference of
08:20opinion between the Environment Agency and figures from the Somerset Drainage Board Consortium, who've been working with the landowners about letting the
08:31Environment Agency on this site, this stretch of about two kilometres that we're walking along at the moment. There was a disagreement over letting them on
08:41earlier in the year, in terms of whether it was navigable to get land, to get heavy equipment on the land at the time of heavy rainfall and localised
08:50flooding. And since that meeting, there have been discussions in terms of when they can actually do the work not just to upgrade the KSD itself, but also a
09:01couple of crucial pieces of infrastructure on it, including something we'll be coming up to in about 10 minutes, the Chedzoi Tilting Weir, which takes water off the
09:12fields near Chedzoi straight into the KSD. It's one of those things where unless you live in an area that's prone to flooding, or at least has experienced it in
09:24the not too distant past, it may seem totally parochial. But infrastructure like this, it's not just a case of preserving the residential communities. Floods like that
09:37can be a matter of life and death for local businesses. And we've seen at the Martock end of Somerset, with huge amounts of the levels below Langport being
09:48flooded for months, and an inability to sow crops or raise cattle or sheep or do anything really productive. And we all know that government grants and
09:58compensation only goes so far. We'll just pause here to let these cyclists come past. Good morning. You're welcome. No problem at all. So as we get back onto the
10:16cycle path, and as typical for Somerset, everyone's really courteous and very fetchingly tattooed, though I say so myself. So yesterday in Yeovil, the
10:29Somerset Rivers Authority Board met once again, they tend to hold meetings once every three months. And they give updates on various projects, including the
10:39dredging activity and the flood prevention. I wasn't able to attend that meeting in person. But we have had a statement through from the chairman of the Somerset
10:49Rivers Authority, that's David Mitchell. And he has provided us with an idea of what is going to be done with this remaining section of the KSD. I'm going to read his
10:59statement in full, it will be a little technical. But I think it's important that you have the full picture. Here's what he said. At the Somerset Rivers
11:07Authority board meeting in Yeovil yesterday, members were updated by the Parrot Internal Drainage Board about progress being made with plans for the River
11:16Sowie King Sedgmore drain improvements. The Parrot IDB is working hard to get things to a point where two water control structures, including the Chedsoy Tilting
11:27Weir, can be upgraded later this year. The IDB is also working hard to get things to a point where a final stretch of bank raising works can be done along King Sedgmore
11:39drain next year. Board members have expressed their support for this work to help speed up work on the water control structures. Members also agreed that if need be,
11:51funding could be confirmed before the next board meeting in September. This move reflected the board's strong desire to see the Sowie KSD improvements completed by the SRA, that's Somerset Rivers
12:03Authority partnership, as part of a program to reduce flood risks across a big part of the Somerset levels and moors. So that's David Mitchell, the chairman of the Somerset
12:15Rivers Authority, speaking following their meeting in Yeovil yesterday morning. And essentially what that boils down to is, while the Chedsoy Tilting Weir that we'll be coming up to in a few minutes, will be upgraded and revamped by the end of this summer,
12:33sooner rather than later, if the weather holds and they get the funding confirmed, the bank raising works all along this stretch, we're probably talking two kilometres in total, that will have to wait at the very latest until the summer of 2025.
12:50Now, that may seem disappointing to some, but to put it into context, the Environment Agency, even though it has a local depot here, it has to distribute its resources to best serve the whole of Somerset, not just this little piece. It takes time to secure the specialist equipment and the specialist contractors who know exactly what they're doing. You can't just send the farmer down with a normal tractor with a digger on it and take huge clumps out of the river.
13:19It would be a lot simpler if we could, but it's not that simple at all. The EA have got to secure that equipment, they've got to make sure that the farmer and other landowners give them access for the amount of time that they need to do the work, and then it's a question of how long will it take, and having a contingency for wet weather.
13:43So, there are all manners of plates spinning and lots of ducks to get in a row, probably a whole bunch of other cliches that I'm forgetting, but you get the idea, it's complicated.
13:52But rest assured, there is that public commitment that was conveyed at the meeting yesterday in Yeovil and reiterated in the statement I just read out, that this section of the King's Surgemoor drain will be completely raised and upgraded by the end of the summer of 2025, and we will keep close tabs on that over the next 12 to 18 months and hold them to account if anything goes wrong.
14:20That's what we do as local democracy reporters. If you've only just joined me, it's Daniel Mumby here, your local democracy reporter for Somerset. You're out on another live stream, this time in the heart of the Somerset Levels, a few miles from Bridgewater, we're talking all about the King's Surgemoor drain, this enormous artificial river you can just see poking through the trees there.
14:50And we're talking about flood prevention and how the Somerset Rivers Authority is working with the Environment Agency and the Internal Drainage Boards to finally get this section upgraded after so many false starts and so many disagreements, or inconvenient disagreements at any rate, with the landowners.
15:12I'm just going to pause for a second to let these people pass. Good morning.
15:24We really have lucked out with the weather here. When I was coming over the M5 from Bridgewater, it was blowing a hoolie and bucketing it down with rain. So far, the wind is still up, but the rain is holding off, and I hope it stays that way.
15:38Just to go off on a little tangent, this route that we're walking on at the moment, you can see the footpath is in excellent condition, and that's because this is no ordinary right-of-way. This is part of National Cycle Network's Routes 3 and 33.
15:54Which means, if you saw my live streams from Ilminster and Chard in the not-too-distant past, we are actually on part of the Stop Line Way, which runs all the way from Burnham-on-Sea across Somerset over the levels past Ilminster and Chard, and ends up on the East Devon Coast at Seaton.
16:16And you can see, Sustrans, the government cycling charity, have taken good care. They've kept the surface in check. There's a good amount of greenery on the edge, just where the fields are, to encourage biodiversity and various species that have been left in place, with the landowners' permission.
16:36It's a great opportunity to come out and explore this area for yourself. It's relatively flat, and hopefully there are these little markers on the hedgerows so you can see how far you've come.
16:49We've talked so much about active travel on these live streams, you're probably sick to death of hearing it, but routes like this, which sometimes only appear to exist on a map, and when you get there in reality they're a bit slapdash and haphazard, this one has been taken really good care of.
17:08And it's a great way to explore the King's Sedgmore Drain up close. Normally the only experience that you would have of it driving through Somerset is briefly crossing it as you go over the M5 near Junction 23, or if you live in the area of Street and Glastonbury, in which case you might drive past it and over it on the A39.
17:30But being able to get this close to it and see these huge volumes of water being conveyed downstream, the wind's blowing across so it looks like it's flowing in the opposite direction, but I trust you it's not.
17:41These huge volumes of water being taken safely away from the levels and moors, and with all the new house building that will be coming on stream, further upstream in the carey catchment, in the catchments of the Parrot and the Tone, once the phosphates crisis has been resolved.
18:04Resources like the KSD and the Sowie and the Huntsville River for that matter which flows south of Highbridge, they will become all the more crucial to ensuring that this beautiful low-lying county that so many of us have made our home can stay head above water for many decades to come.
18:26And I'm sure we will spend much time, as local democracy reporters, holding the Environment Agency's feet to the fire if they drop the ball.
18:37So we are now coming up towards the Cherdzoig Tilting Weir. We've got another, I'd say quarter, half a mile to cover, so if you can stick around and tolerate the wind that would be enormously useful.
18:54I'd be particularly interested actually if anyone lives locally and tell me what these structures are. I was walking past them and wondered if they might be something to do with the navigation. At one point or another, currently I think it might be the remnants of a jibbing from the gallows, but probably not as far out of a settlement.
19:12Let me know in the comments what you think it is. I'm sure it's an inspiration for many great ghost stories as we come past the Tilting Weir which takes water off the levels into the KSD and that is one of the two big pieces of water control infrastructure that will be upgraded and even replaced if the funding allows.
19:36So that section of it will be completed by the end of this current summer, but the more invasive work, raising the banks, particularly on that northern side as you go up towards the polders, that's looking another 12 months away, which may be frustrating for many who live in the area, it may well be frustrating for the landowners who just want the Environment Agency to get in and get on with it.
20:00But as we said earlier on the stream, it's very rarely that simple. Even if the money's available, you still have to get the specialists.
20:10If you've only just joined me, it's Daniel Mumby here, your local democracy reporter. We are out on the fringes of the Sedgemoor area, walking along the King's Sedgemoor drain, this historic and invaluable flood defence, carrying water from the Cary and the Parrot from the Somerset levels out to the Bristol Channel via the Northern Middle Bridge water.
20:35And we've been talking quite extensively about efforts being made by the Somerset Rivers Authority, the Environment Agency and the Parrot Internal Drainage Board to upgrade and raise the banks on that side.
20:51You can see there have been strips that have either been cut away by machinery as like a testing area or which have fallen in as a result of all the runoff and erosion that we've seen on this part of the defence.
21:05But we do finally have a commitment that work will be starting on the bank raising next year with the tilting weir at Chedzoy getting a spruce up in the next few months.
21:17And for all the struggles that there have been surrounding the Somerset Rivers Authority, ensuring that it gets its full precept in the face of other council tax rises across our county and ensuring that the schemes that it can look into range not just from the big dredging but to the smaller projects at a local level,
21:41whether it's urban drainage solutions or doing studies of areas which historically have got no concrete way of getting water out of flood prone areas.
21:53All of their work is invaluable and it's great to see them moving forward. We'll be doing more on the Rivers Authority's work probably later in the summer before their next meeting in September.
22:04So watch this space for that.
22:11Worth pointing out incidentally, if you're looking to explore Somerset's rivers, if you go further upstream of here and end up in Langport, there is a large loop which will take you along the River Parrot from Cocklemore up towards Monksley's Clyde.
22:32And there are efforts on in the neighbouring parish of Aller to actually bring new footpaths and cycle networks from Aller along those waterways into Langport.
22:43And later in July we hope to be out with Gerard Tucker, one of the local residents and parish councillors, the clerk of Mere Parish Council, who has been working on this quite extensively.
22:55So watch this space for that.
22:57Again, we'll just nip in a second.
23:11We're not too far from Journey's End now. You can see the bridge here which brings us out onto Ward Lane.
23:19We're going to finish our stream just before we get to that car park which is free to park in.
23:25And the walk from here along the section from Chedzoy to Bradney is about 2km.
23:33And like I say, it's largely flat and Sustrans have taken good care to keep it in a decent condition.
23:40It's nice to see so many people out with their dogs and on their bikes.
23:45If you missed any of the statement that we read out from David Mitchell, I will not only link to that statement in the article that will result from this live stream,
23:55but we can also put in the comments the full report that came to the SRA board meeting yesterday.
24:01It goes into quite considerable technical detail, around 5 pages worth, so if you're wanting to sleep nice and easily then happy to let you read that.
24:12If you're wanting something a little more digestible, there will be a full article available on this, probably on Monday, maybe Tuesday next week.
24:18It depends what else is happening with the election campaign.
24:22Of course we are treading along the boundaries here between the new Bridgewater constituency, which stops at this side of the drain,
24:30and the Wells and Mendip Hills constituency, which starts over there.
24:36I don't know who the MP for KSD would be exactly, but hopefully they will do a good job, whoever is elected on July 4th,
24:46of representing these villages in Parliament for the next four to five years.
24:53As you can see, we're not too close to the river at any point.
24:58There's a good five to ten metres of vegetation, so if you have an overexcitable dog or you're a little unsteady on your feet,
25:06you can explore this area very safely without taking your life into your hands.
25:12I certainly feel a lot safer walking along here compared to the stream we did up in Washford the other weekend,
25:17where I was clinging on for dear life along the A39 up in West Somerset.
25:24And what we're going to do is we're going to just slowly get out onto the road, he says, feeling very warm.
25:32We'll look back up, up the artificial river where we've trodden,
25:38and I will ramp things up very nicely before I leave you to the rest of your weekend,
25:43including the European Championships, of course, which got underway yesterday.
25:48So we're just coming out onto Ward Lane. There are dog poo bins available at either end of the route,
25:54so please do clear up after your pet if you bring them along here.
25:59And I'm just going to take a pause here and we will take one last look along the KSD before we leave things.
26:09So if you want to find out more information, there will be a full article about the efforts to improve the King's Sedgmore drain early next week.
26:20I will be back next week for two live streams, one from Minehead on Tuesday,
26:26where we'll be having a look around the Rainbow Way Council Houses,
26:29and one this coming Saturday, which will probably be going up Coffelstone Hill and looking at the Seven Sisters.
26:35In the meantime, this is Daniel Munby, your local democracy reporter, wishing you a very happy rest of your weekend.
26:41Bye for now.