Thornley Brook – the main river flowing through Grotton, Springhead and Lees – has been blocked in recent days by huge amounts of soil near Rhodes Hill, Lees.
Action has already been taken, with local Liberal Democrat councillor Mark Kenyon meeting with the Environment Agency on site, who have already contacted the owners with concerns over the works.
Mark said: “Thanks to the eagle eyes of a community already concerned about the Knowls Lane development further up the valley, this was reported to me on Boxing Day. I called the Environment Agency straight away and met them on site this morning.
“The Environment Agency can see that someone has caused a real problem; there’s the blocked river and then there’s tonnes and tonnes of loose and unstable material ready to slip down into it to make the problem worse.”
The Environment Agency officer met on site with the landowner the same day to voice the concerns and make clear that immediate works were required to address the problems.
Mark concluded: “The new owner has now said they’ll take this chance to make things right. I hope they do because legal enforcement is just around the corner.”