Farmer faces £100,000 loss as his farm stays under water for New Year two MONTHS after river flooded

Farmer faces £100,000 loss as his farm stays under water for New Year two MONTHS after river flooded in torrential downpours

  • Henry Ward’s farm was left surrounded by 15ft of water after the Barlings Eau burst its banks in November
  • Flooding caused havoc in Lincolnshire and the surrounding areas and Henry’s farm was hit severely
  • Henry now says he is ‘dreading the mess’ the water will leave behind and has asked the government for help

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A farm that was swamped after flooding hit several parts of the UK last month will be underwater for New Year as its owner says he is ‘dreading the mess’ it will leave behind.

Henry Ward’s farmhouse and outbuildings were left surrounded by 15ft of water after the Barlings Eau, a river near Lincoln, burst its banks in mid-November and he now faces £100,000 worth of loss.

More than 1,000 acres of farmland in Lincolnshire had been left underwater but finally the deluge is being pumped off the land by the Environment Agency.

The breach in the riverbank has now been plugged and pumping the water out has started but the 28-year-old may have to wait another three weeks until all the water has been drained off the farm.

Henry Ward took over the farm from his father Joe Ward in September last year and hopes the government will help with repair work. The property was pictured today and is still surrounded by water 

Water looks to have been drained down since the farm was initially hit in November, it is pictured above on November 12

Water looks to have been drained down since the farm was initially hit in November, it is pictured above on November 12

Henry Ward's farm is pictured above earlier this month on December 8 following intense flooding in the Lincolnshire area. Torrential downpours hit his farm and the surrounding areas

Henry Ward’s farm is pictured above earlier this month on December 8 following intense flooding in the Lincolnshire area. Torrential downpours hit his farm and the surrounding areas 

The breach in the riverbank has now been plugged, Henry said he is dreading the mess left behind. The property is pictured above on December 8

The breach in the riverbank has now been plugged, Henry said he is dreading the mess left behind. The property is pictured above on December 8

Henry said: ‘Seven weeks on and the farm is still flooded and is probably around 4ft at its deepest.

‘I’m dreading seeing the mess once the water goes, I think all the fencing would have collapsed and the ditches and drains will be full of silt.’

He added they would have to be patient and let the land dry out and they would not be able to plant any crops until October.

He added: ‘We would have lost a year. I have sheep I was expecting to take to the yard in a couple of weeks, but I can’t do that now and will have to make alternative arrangements to relocate them.

The farmhouse and buildings were surrounded by 15ft of water after the Barlings Eau burst its banks and more than 1,000 acres was left under water. It is pictured on December 8th

The farmhouse and buildings were surrounded by 15ft of water after the Barlings Eau burst its banks and more than 1,000 acres was left under water. It is pictured on December 8th

‘We will probably end up losing around £100,000 in terms of damage and loss of earnings.’

Henry, who had only just taken over the farm in September from his father, Joe Ward, said he hoped the Government would give more money to the Environment Agency to maintain its rivers. He added: ‘We need to learn from this.’

After the rained poured down during the second weekend of November the Barlings Eau, burst its banks, sending millions of gallons of water across a great chunk of Lincolnshire, including all of the 250-acre Fen Farm — except the cattle shed and the farmhouse. 

The river also breached its banks in 2007. 

Henry had previously hit out at the Environment Agency immediately after the flooding, as he questioned whether or not they would be fixing the problems.

On November 13 Henry posted a video to Twitter which showed the water coursing through a broken grass bank.

In a tweet he asked the Environment Agency ‘when will you fill this hole’ and added ‘no wonder water still rising on our land’. 

Mr Ward has been vocal about the flooding in the area and posted the video.

As the camera pans across the landscape, the damage in the area becomes even more visible.

Speaking to the BBC at the time, he said he ‘just wanted a plan’ from the relevant groups, as to what they are going to do in the short term.

‘So the breach, it’s still open and it’s flooding our land now. 

‘We would just like to know when they are going to plug the hole so that the water can start to be pumped back into the rivers and the water levels go down.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk