Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many formal Section 25 Enforcement Notices requiring riparian owners to complete specific maintenance works have been issued by the Environment Agency in Huntingdon constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Since 2024, the Environment Agency has not issued any Enforcement Notices under Schedule 25, Paragraph 8 of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 to riparian owners in Huntingdonshire.
Flood risk concerns have been addressed through direct site visits and the provision of advice and guidance, with all riparian owners visited complying fully with the requested maintenance actions.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which villages currently have functioning water pumping infrastructure in Huntingdon constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Within Huntingdonshire, the Environment Agency (EA) maintains the following pumping stations: Thicket Lane (also known as Backbrook) located in Houghton, Victoria Terrace pumping station located in St Ives, and Cooks stream pumping station located in Godmanchester.
Cooks stream pumping station and Victoria Terrace pumping station are both functioning.
The EA is progressing a scheme to refurbish Thicket Lane which the EA expects to complete by March 2027.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Gifford farm development on flooding via Parsons Drove drain in Huntingdon constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) was consulted on the emerging Local Plan, which sets out potential locations for development in Huntingdonshire, and responded regarding the proposed Gifford’s Park site.
In the EA’s response, it advised:
Until the above detailed work is provided by the developer, it is not possible to comment on whether this site may impact flooding specifically via Parson’s Drove Drain.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2026, to question 104939 on River Great Ouse: Flood Control, by when will phase 1 of the gate refurbishment project be completed.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Phase 1 of the gate refurbishment project is expected to be completed by 31 March 2026.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Environment Agency is taking to enforce waterway maintenance responsibilities by riparian owners in Huntingdonshire.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In Huntingdonshire, the Environment Agency (EA) has undertaken targeted enforcement across Brampton Brook, Alconbury Brook, Ellington Brook and St Ives to encourage voluntary compliance and to inform and educate landowners on riparian responsibilities.
Throughout 2024 and 2025, the EA visited 35 properties on Brampton Brook to address vegetation overgrowth, waste, fallen trees and unpermitted structures. All necessary actions were completed by landowners, and no further action was required.
Where maintenance presents a flood‑risk concern and voluntary action is not taken, the EA can issue a formal Section 25 Enforcement Notice requiring the owner to complete specific maintenance works. Failure to comply is an offence, and the EA may undertake the work itself and recover costs from the landowner.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2026, to question 104940 on River Great Ouse: Flood Control, by when will the Environment Agency have completed their assessment of the potential flood alleviation a) benefits and b) impacts of the proposed options.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The full business case for the St Ives Staunch sluice project is currently planned for completion in late Spring 2026. This will include a high-level assessment of the benefits, impacts and costs of proposed options.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what is the current asset condition of a) Brownshill and b) St Ives staunch.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The current asset condition of Brownshill Staunch sluice is rated as poor (gates 1 and 2) and very poor (gate 3).
The current asset condition of St Ives Staunch sluice is rated as poor.
The Environment Agency carries out an accredited visual inspection of assets to assess their condition and performance every 6 – 24 months. The frequency of inspection depends on the asset’s priority.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2026 to question 105592 on River Great Ouse: Dredging, for what reason the river has not been dredged since the 1970s and 1980s.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Since the 1980s, the Environment Agency’s (EA) maintenance works have been limited to targeted desilting at specific locations, such as locks, outfalls and gauging stations, to maintain navigation and asset functionality.
Sections of the Ely Ouse, from Popes Corner to Littleport, were desilted between 1991 and 1998, and small-scale shoal removals have occurred intermittently near structures such as Denver and Salters Lode Locks in Norfolk.
On the Tidal River Great Ouse, the EA undertakes desilting activities at Denver and Salters Lode Locks to maintain a navigable channel, most recently in 2025, and the EA is planning a desilting programme for 2026. The EA also removes silt which accumulates on erosion protection measures, most recently near Salters Lode in February 2025.
The EA undertakes targeted dredging where necessary along the River Great Ouse in the locations where it will either support navigation or the reduction of flood risk.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2026, to question 105593 on River Great Ouse: Flood Control, by when will the list of projects to receive Government funding in 26/27 be determined.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Delivering on the Plan for Change, this Government is investing at least £10.5 billion until 2036 to construct new flood schemes and repair existing defences, protecting communities from the devastating impacts of climate change.
The final list of schemes to benefit in 2026/27 is due to be published on GOV.UK in March 2026.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when was the River Great Ouse last dredged.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) does not operate a routine dredging programme for the River Great Ouse. Dredging was last undertaken in the 1970s and 1980s, prior to the EA’s establishment in 1996.