Retired farmer John Smith slams Environment Agency’s maintenance of River Burn in Norfolk

A retired farmer has claimed that decades of no maintenance have led to a stretch of river becoming a “constant threat” to residents.

John Smith, 85, has voiced frustrations about a section of the River Burn running from the Burnham Overy watermill to an outlet at the sea.

He says that during his time as a tenant dairy farmer, waterways in the area - which also includes Burnham Market, South Creake and North Creake - were well managed and “looked after”.

But now he believes it has lost its reputation as “a flourishing, healthy environment” due to “deliberate neglect” from the Environment Agency (EA), which is responsible for waterways in the area.

“During my tenancy, all the waterways were looked after. The dykes and rivers were dredged and the reeds were cut back annually using a boat and rope cutter,” Mr Smith told the Lynn News.

“Now, following decades with no maintenance, the water is barely able to pass through the choked mass of neglect.

“At some points the water literally has less than half a meter width of clearance due to chocking reeds, self-seeded trees, fallen trees, brambles, and undergrowth - and the river now has a depth of approximately a third of a metre at most, due to the massive build-up of silt and mud.

“It is now a constant threat because water is simply unable to drain away downstream from Union Mill in Burnham Overy Town to Burnham Overy Staithe, purely due to deliberate neglect.”

However, an EA spokesperson said that regular maintenance work is carried out at the River Burn - sometimes as frequently as three times a year.

But contrasting photographs provided by Mr Smith, taken from the same spots in 1996 and 2025, highlight the differences in the waterway’s appearance over the years.

The EA spokesperson said: "Where there is a significant flood risk to people and property on the River Burn, we carry out regular maintenance work, some of which is completed three times per year."

"Our maintenance work (‘cut and clears’) consists of our field team members walking through the channel with hand tools cutting any overgrown vegetation and removing any hard obstacles and potential blockages from within the channel."

"As our powers and responsibilities are focused on managing flood risk to people and properties on the main rivers, we have to prioritise our works where the flood risk is the highest.

“Therefore, we are increasingly reliant on the cooperation of landowners to undertake their riparian responsibilities."

The spokesperson encouraged people to call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 if they have any concern, or to visit www.gov.uk/check-flooding to check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation.

Mr Smith believes more has to be done to manage the river, and has called for “urgent action”.

“This situation is happening all over the country and too many people jump to the conclusion that global warming is to blame for local flooding,” he said.

“This is not so - we need to look closer to home.

“Looking after our environment requires work and commitment and properly clearing our waterways will pay dividends to the lives of both local residents and wildlife.”