Farmers site meeting to deal with flooding in Longsleddale

Farmers from the Longsleddale valley met on Monday with local MP Tim Farron, staff from Natural England and the Environment agency as well as NFU rep and Rural and Farming Network (RFN) chair Will Cockbain to look at how ways might be found to minimise damage from flooding in the area.

Farmers accept nothing can be done to halt rainfall and that the water itself is not the problem rather the debris and silt that is left on the land after flooding occurs.

The meeting was constructive and all parties agreed to do some further work to look in to this mindful that the river is a protected SSSI (Sites of Special Scientific Interest).

Tim said: "The meeting was incredibly useful. I always find it more helpful to tackle issues like this on site rather than in an office. I hope that Natural England and the Environment Agency will now work with farmers so that they can be allowed to clear debris from the river. This would protect farmland as well as reducing the number of times that Burneside and Kendal residents suffer from the appalling experience of having their homes flooded."

RFN chair Will Cockbain commented that: "If ways could be found to stop as much gravel entering the river in the first place this may go some way to helping with the problem.