A young farmer lost more than £1million after his fields were flooded by eight-foot-deep water when a river overflowed.
Henry Ward, 33, and his heavily pregnant wife Emma are expecting their first child together this month, but instead of excitedly preparing for the big day, the farmer is worried about how he will provide for his family.
Although he lives almost 45 miles from the coast, his Lincolnshire farm has been an island accessible only by boat for six months, an experience he described as “soul destroying”.
He lost £35,000 overnight in October last year when the River Barlings Water overflowed in two places during Storm Babet, flooding his farm and destroying his wheat, rapeseed and pea crops. valuable vine.
Today the fields his family have farmed for 70 years are still flooded and he faces a year without a harvest, meaning he will lose more than £100,000 in income.
Meanwhile, the £1 million house he rented on the farm was left “worthless” with its tenant forced to evacuate because of the flooding.
The heartbroken father-to-be told MailOnline the last six months had been ‘horrible’ and ‘soul destroying’. He is now pleading with the Environment Agency to abandon “warm words” in favor of some action.
Expectant father Henry Ward, 33 (pictured with his wife Emma) lost £1 million after his farm was flooded.
His farm has been turned into an island surrounded by floodwaters – and the only way to get there is by boat
Mr Ward’s farm was first flooded in October (pictured), but the floodwaters remained for six months, ruining his crops.
It also made the £1 million house he rents “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 £100,000 in income.
Yet just around the corner is the Environment Agency’s ‘dry’ flood reservoir (pictured behind Mr Ward), which was supposed to save businesses from flooding.
He said: “It’s very frustrating. This is premium soil: you can grow anything on this land, but it is now too risky to exploit it.
“I can’t make a living from (the farm). Fences destroyed, debris all over the farm, the ground will be dead. It will take a lot of work to return this land to a condition suitable for agriculture.
“It’s soul destroying. Every day you see it and wonder, “How am I supposed to make a living and provide for my family?” »
“Mentally it has been horrible. This has been going on for months.
“We’re going to see this more often. Climate change is coming. We need to get something right.
Mr Ward’s farm was first flooded in 2019, prompting the Environment Agency to spend £3.5 million repairing the river banks.
In the same year, the Environment Agency proudly declared that it was operating flood reservoirs capable of holding over 210 million cubic feet and protecting 7,000 homes and businesses in Lincoln.
The plan was that floodwaters would be diverted from rivers to the field designated by the Environment Agency.
Yet when the crunch came in October last year, the Environment Agency’s flood reservoir was left ‘dry’.
Instead, the river overflowed into Mr. Ward’s fields and those of his neighbors before the agency’s threshold for opening the gates was reached.
He said: “It happened again four years later. It’s even worse this time because there are two gaps in the river bank.
“There is a kilometer and a half of this river which is completely destroyed by these floods.
“They are going to have to spend over £3.5 million if they want to get it back.” This is clearly not sustainable.
Henry Ward, 33, and his heavily pregnant wife Emma are expecting their first child together this month, but instead of excitedly preparing for the big day, the farmer is worried about how he will provide for his family.
The tenant living in his £1 million home on his farm was forced to evacuate in October because of flooding.
At their peak, floodwaters covered about 2,000 acres of fields owned by “six or seven” farmers.
Mr Ward told MailOnline: ‘It’s heartbreaking but we just have to think pragmatically’
At their peak, floodwaters covered about 2,000 acres of fields owned by “six or seven” farmers.
One of Mr Ward’s neighboring farmers is Henry Moreton, vice-president of the Lincolnshire County National Farmers’ Union.
His farm was also flooded during Storm Babet.
He said: “If I was on my farm two days after Storm Babet, I would need a snorkel.
“I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”
Almost a third of Lincolnshire lies below sea level, but this region also produces a quarter of Britain’s fruit and vegetables.
Last week Mr Ward met Environment Agency boss Alan Lovell to try to find a solution to the flooding that benefits everyone.
He said: “It still feels like an inland sea.
‘We’ve saved thousands of businesses and homes from flooding, but we can’t do it for free.
“It’s heartbreaking, but we just have to think pragmatically.
“I try to work with them, but it’s painful to deal with a government organization.
“We need to think outside the box. The time for warm words is over. We have to do work.
“Why don’t we propose a plan where the Environment Agency would allow these lands to be flooded in a controlled way, paying landowners for it, thereby preventing businesses and homes from being flooded? »
“Let’s do some joint thinking and use it as a public good to improve flood resilience in the local area. »
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “We fully recognize that our farming communities have been particularly affected by the winter storms and the damage they have caused.
“Farmland was unfortunately flooded due to damage to earth embankments caused by winter storms.
“We are working with affected landowners to drain flooded areas using portable pumps in the Lower Witham catchment and repair damaged embankments.”
“We also agree to proposals that will put in place a temporary repair on the Barlings Water River, subject to weather conditions.
“We will continue to work with the local farming community to address any concerns they raise.”
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