THE Englefield Estate is working in partnership with the Pang Valley Flood Forum (PVFF) on a pilot project aimed at assessing the benefits of using more natural methods to reduce flood risk.

A team from the estate, under the direction of the PVFF, has been constructing ‘leaky dams’ on the River Bourne, designed to slow the flow of floodwater, in turn reducing the risk of overbanking and the likelihood of flooding further downstream.

The work, funded by DEFRA, has been undertaken by a team led by the Englefield Estate’s forestry manager Richard Edwards, on estate land south of Pangbourne.

He said: “The River Bourne is usually quite peaceful, wandering through the countryside until it reaches the River Pang. But it is in a narrow, deep channel, so in extreme weather the waters can flow very powerfully, potentially contributing to extensive flooding downstream. 

“We know people in Pangbourne were hit badly by flooding some years ago, so when we were approached by the Pang Valley Flood Forum, we were keen to help out.

“The Englefield Estate has been caring for the environment for generations, and we wanted to make sure the work was done in an environmentally friendly way.

“Their grant was awarded to help to increase the research knowledge of using natural flood management (NFM) techniques rather than hard, concrete structures, and this really appealed to us. We built leaky dams using locally felled trees which are placed in the river in such a way that the natural base flow of the river isn’t really affected. 
“But in times of rising water levels and potential flooding, the dams will hold back the flow and slow it down so it is less destructive downstream.”

Kay Lacey, PVFF chair, said: “The Forum is run by volunteers and works closely with the Environment Agency, Thames Water and West Berkshire Council. We are being supported by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.”