Concern for boat safety after cow takes dip in river

Not the Thames but just goes to show.....

23-Aug-2011

“Pull the udder one.” That was what Environment Agency staff thought when they received a report that a live cow had decided to go for a dip in a popular boating river.

The incident, on the River Nene, near Nassington, marked the end of a busy 10 days which had seen Environment Agency Welland and Nene Operations Delivery staff called out 11 times to incidents which were causing a flood risk. These included fallen trees, blockages and a failed sluice.

Russell Gillett, Welland and Nene Operations Delivery Team Leader, said: “The Environment Agency is responsible for removing items from rivers which could cause a flood risk or pollution. This does not usually include live or dead animals.

“However, the cow was reported to one of our river inspectors by a boater who had seen it in trouble in the River Nene navigation channel. As we are also responsible for navigation on the River Nene, we acted to help get the cow out of the river because it was a potential hazard to boaters.”

A member of the public, the RSPCA, and the farmer who owned the cow also helped to remove the animal from the river.

Other emergency incidents attended by the Agency team included: A sluice failure at Maxey Mill; a fallen willow tree that was blocking the River Welland at Market Harborough, weeds blocking sluices and lock sites at White Mills Sluice, Whiston, and Earls Barton and a fallen tree at Islip Lock and sluice.

A large tree was also removed after it toppled into the watercourse at Barley Thorpe Brook, Oakham, causing a significant flood risk to a number of nearby properties and another tree was removed from Addington Weir.

Live animals in difficulties in rivers or other watercourses should be reported to the RSPCA. Animal carcasses should be reported to the local authority or the Environment Agency if it might be causing a flood risk.

To report a potential flood risk, people should contact the Environment Agency’s incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.

Didn't realise that fallen trees were a thing to notify the EA about.

There's 3 or 4 fallen across the Mini-Ha-Ha over the past few years, if they block the towpath they get removed but otherwise have been left blocking it more and more. So if I notify them would they then go along and clear it all, opening up the flow once more?

EdRandall wrote:

Didn't realise that fallen trees were a thing to notify the EA about.

There's 3 or 4 fallen across the Mini-Ha-Ha over the past few years, if they block the towpath they get removed but otherwise have been left blocking it more and more. So if I notify them would they then go along and clear it all, opening up the flow once more?

It's the main river they need to know about Ed. Potentially, a tree could float down, block sluices and stop them opening when they need to let floods thru...no sluices on the Mini Ha-Ha