On Monday 30 September the Environment Agency will begin to carry out repairs to the flood bank at Riverside Park in St Neots.
The banks were created in 2009 when the new defences were installed as part of the St Neots Flood Alleviation Scheme to protect the town from flooding.
Since then a trench has been worn into the bank by people taking a shortcut across the top of it. If it went unrepaired, the trench would worsen and cause further structural problems that could remove the bank’s ability to act as a flood defence.
Ian Cooper, Environment Agency Project Manager , said: “ Once the work is done we would hope that people will stop using it as a shortcut.
“They are unwittingly doing damage to an important flood defence, and there is a perfectly good path adjacent to the bank.”
The Environment Agency will repair the flood bank and install fencing and signage to restrict access across it during the works. Reinforcement work will also be undertaken next spring to protect the bank from further damage.
Mr Cooper added: “ Whilst the damage caused by pedestrian traffic and cyclists across this structure doesn’t look significant, this change to the structural integrity of the flood bank could put people and property at risk of flooding.
“The repairs are essential and will ensure that the banks are an effective part of the local flood defence system that protects people and property from flooding.”
The work is expected to take eight months in total and the temporary fencing will remain in place until the work is completed. This is likely to be May 2014.
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Press Release, September 25, 2013