Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities on their duties to ensure landowners clear ditches adjacent to their own land as a means of reducing flood risk.

Landowners are responsible for maintaining the bed and banks of watercourses on their land, and for clearing obstructions to the flow of water.

Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs) and Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) have powers under the Land Drainage Act 1991 to require the relevant landowners to maintain the flow of a watercourse.

The Environment Agency, exercising its strategic oversight responsibilities, works closely with IDBs and LLFAs to ensure they are managing local flood risk effectively.