HEAT’s position on the river - April 2024

This winter we saw the wettest February on record. Since Storm Babet back in October, we have seen four flood events that have caused extensive damage to property all along the Brett Vale. Fields to the south of Hadleigh are still saturated and unworkable.

In an attempt to reduce the risk of further flood damage, the EA opened the Toppesfield sluice gates to lower the water level on the stretch between Bridge Street and Toppesfield Bridge and take the river back to a more natural state.

For years the community have enjoyed the artificially high water level across this stretch of the town. Seeing the river levels lower than normal has come as a shock to some. If the EA decide that a low level is the best way to reduce flood risk, then it would take a year or two for nature to adapt and the muddy banks to disappear.

Without an ecological survey it’s very hard to say whether the river and its surroundings, such as the wet woodland on the river walk, would be healthier with a high or low river. (Though the low level has at least allowed volunteers from HEAT to carry out a thorough litter sweep of the river pulling out a skip load of debris that was polluting the river).

HEAT do not control the sluice gates nor have been trained to do so. This and the management of the river is the responsibility of the Environment Agency.

HEAT is a local voluntary group that was established 4 years ago to look at ways that the community could come together to combat climate change and protect biodiversity. We have run many community projects for which we recently received the best community group at the Suffolk County Council’s ‘The Greenest County’ awards.

A few years ago, because we know how important the river is to people in Hadleigh, and in anticipation of climate related problems HEAT set up a river group. We invited the community, local groups like the anglers and the scouts, local land owners, farmers, water companies, the EA and other stake holders from up and downstream of Hadleigh to come together to look at ways to protect the river.

This led to the setting up of a sampling team who take regular samples and carry out invertebrate monitoring at several points along the river from Chelsworth to Shelley. Results from this sampling are passed on to a national database and shared locally. This also provides an opportunity to check for and if necessary report any pollution from agriculture or sewerage.

HEAT does not have a definitive stance on the river level - because it is complicated and lots of factors have to be considered. We involve local people, listen to the experts and take advice and given the complexity of the management of the river, this remains our approach.

We encourage anyone who is concerned about our local environment to get involved in HEAT.

HEAT steering group