A drainage board is launching a bid to have computer modelling which resulted in the closure of a pumping station over turned in a bid to prevent future flooding.
Black Sluice Internal Drainage Board believes that flooding in Billingborough and Boston could have prevented if the de-commissioned Black Sluice Pumping Station had still been operational.
Farmers Dean Wesley and his son, Ryan, conducted a rescue mission around Billingborough on Monday with their JCB to help five people – including a pregnant woman – escape the flooding.
Flooding caused disruption in the county PHOTO: Lincolnshire Resilience Forum
While around 40 homes in the Boston area and a number of roads were impacted by the flooding.
The Black Sluice Pumping Station, in London Road, Boston, had been decommissioned in 2014 following the ‘Black Sluice Catchment Works’ study two years earlier. A report which went before Lincolnshire County Council in 2021 reported that evidence from this study found that ‘whilst the gravity sluice and dual-purpose lock play an important role in managing flood risk to people and property, the pumps do not.’
Now the board is hoping to get Government departments to revisit the flood modelling taking into account the weather changes in recent years.
Black Sluice Pumping Station, Boston. Photo: Google Maps
A statement from the Black Sluice IDB board, which expresses sympathy to affected residents and farmers, said: “The board firmly believes that had the pumps at the Black Sluice Pumping Station been fully operational, the flooding of homes in Boston may have been prevented, and the extent of agricultural flooding could have been significantly reduced, not only in this incident but also in previous flooding events during the winter of 2023/24.
“In addition to the direct flooding caused by the overtopping of the South Forty Foot Drain, we are also seeing secondary impacts from highland carriers, which overflow when they are unable to discharge into the South Forty Foot Drain.
“This includes flooding in villages such as Billingborough, Helpringham, Scredington and other areas to the west of the drainage district.
“The board is committed to making representations to the Environment Agency, and wider government departments, that the 2013/14 flood modelling is revisted, taking into account the new data and experiences from these recent flood events.
“The original modelling indicated that decommissioning the Black Sluice Pumping Station would only have a limited impact, affecting a small area of agricultural land and around five properties where individual flood prevention measures could be implemented.
“However with 40 properties now flooded in Boston, including homes on a large housing estate, it is crucial that this modelling is reassessed to reflect the current situation.”