On Friday 10th December Sandile Mthiyane, Area Operations Manager, Canal & River Trust (CRT), joined us for an inspection of a damaged section of the River Stort towpath.
We first flagged the issue to the CRT back in 2020 but a combination of lockdown and workload has delayed any further action. The damage has been caused by water overflowing from a flooded drainage channel on an adjacent private wet woodland. Needless to say the towpath has deteriorated considerably since the issue was first reported and now poses a hazard to towpath users. The good news is that following the inspection the CRT has now agreed to address the problem.
The same area of wet woodland has also caused extensive flooding to the public right of way adjacent to the footbridge that crosses into the Thorley Wash nature reserve. It is currently not passable without wellingtons and although it has always been wet in winter it now appears to be under water all year round. When the problem was reported to Essex CC we were directed to the CRT but on inspection this morning the problem is clearly one for the county council to take up with the landowner. We will be contacting Essex CC and will keep you informed of developments.
Thanks to Sandile Mthiyane from the CRT for making the time to join us on-site this morning.
Dave Webber – BSDFA
