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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to support landowners to maintain their own stretches of river along the River Deben in Suffolk to help reduce future flooding risk.

Riparian landowners, those whose land adjoins a watercourse, are required under common law to maintain the watercourse, including the removal of debris and blockages, which could cause an obstruction to the flow of water on their land, or downstream if washed away, as well as maintenance of the bed and banks, and any trees or shrubs growing on the banks.

The Environment Agency has published guidance on owning a watercourse on GOV.UK. By April 2024, new Environment Agency engagement guidance will be published to help risk management authorities, Environment Agency staff, and landowners have more effective conversations on this matter.

The Government’s Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Policy Statement sets out what we expect from those responsible for all assets and watercourses – including risk management authorities, other public and community organisations, the private sector and riparian owners – to invest in ongoing maintenance and ensure timely repairs where necessary.