Kettering East Brook flooding scheme allocated £425,000 for investigation works

Funding totalling £425,000 for investigation work into Kettering’s East Brook culvert has been approved by the Anglian (Northern) Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC).

The RFCC, established by the Environment Agency to bring together Lead Local Flood Authorities appointees, allocated the two-year funding to progress the flood alleviation project.

In 2023, residents living along the course of the East Brook joined forces to call for action on flooding along the stretch that flows, mostly underground, through Kettering.

Kettering Town Council’s Cllr James Towns (Green, All Saints) has been campaigning for action by North Northants Council (NNC) to help residents hit by multiple floods.

He said: “I am pleased that members of the Regional Flood Committee have recognised the East Brook problem. Councils across the country are strapped for cash and NNC is no exception.

"The funding obtained is the highest for any flood management project in North Northants, and should enable NNC to progress the East Brook flood mitigation measures.

"With increasing global warming, climate forecast models are predicting a significant increase in the frequency and intensity of summer storms. It is, therefore, vital that flood mitigation measures are implemented by NNC as soon as possible.”

The Anglian (Northern) RFCC allocated £175,000 towards the scheme in 2024, with £250,000 to follow in 2025. NNC is expected to publish the survey report on East Brook soon.

Cllr Towns added: “The survey was commissioned last year and should detail the extent of the flooding problem. NNC also plan to undertake further investigation of East Brook in February, to inform and formalise their drainage survey and enable design works to follow.

"This financial commitment towards East Brook is a promising sign that NNC will progress further investigation, design and remedial works to the culvert.

"We shall be asking NNC how they intend to spend the allocated funds, and whether monies are to be allocated to help residents pay for domestic flood defence measures.”

The East Brook Culvert Improvement Works have been scheduled to begin in June 2025 and end in March 2027. A culvert-wide Section 19 Investigation report has been commissioned.

The Anglian (Northern) RFCC report said: “Next steps Q1 2024 (January to March) will be to procure surveys to understand the unknowns. Areas from the report, are to be targeted.”

The total cost of the project has been set at £509,500 that will ‘better protect’ 211 homes from flooding

The East Brook Culvert runs through a ‘significant area’ of Kettering and consequently the culvert has many riparian owners along its route, which passes under a large number of properties in private ownership. The scheme necessary to tackle the flooding issues is likely to be a large and complex project.

Riparian Rights and Responsibilities

A ‘riparian owner’ is someone who has a watercourse within or adjacent to any boundary of their land. It is presumed that they own the land up to the centre of the watercourse – unless it is known to be owned by someone else.

Riparian owners MUST:

• Maintain the bed and banks of the watercourse, and also the trees and shrubs growing on the banks

• Clear away any natural or man-made debris, even if it did not originate from the owner’s land

• Keep any structures they own (such as culverts, trash screens, weirs or mill gates) clear of debris

• Let water flow through their land without any obstruction, pollution or diversion which affects the rights of others

• Accept flood waters through their land.