Over the weekend, three residents of Cemetery Road, Binstead jumped in the stream that runs at the rear of their properties, clearing out debris and detritus, ensuring a free run of water.
In the flooding of 2021 and again recently, blockages and back ups were experienced causing flood issues and damage.
Donned their waders
Residents of Cemetery Road, that included Darren Bacon and Richard Bond who were massively affected by the flooding, along with Chris Jenkins from slightly further up the hill; donned their waders to address one of the problems.
Chris Jenkins,
“We, like some others have the stream running to the rear of our properties so we all have Riparian rights.
“It means we are responsible for maintaining various elements which includes the trees and shrubs growing on the banks, plus clearing any debris. Which, as you can see, was significant!”
‘Riparian Owner’
The term ‘Riparian Owner’ describes anyone who owns property alongside or through which a natural water course flows. Under common law such owners possess rights and responsibilities in relation to the stretch of the watercourse that flows through or adjacent to their property.
A watercourse may be anything from a ditch to a main river. It is normally presumed that a Riparian Owner owns land up to the centre line of a non-tidal watercourse.
Dore: We all jumped in and smashed it out
Councillor Ian Dore joined Darren, Rich and Chris, getting dirty and wet helping out.
He said,
“I had visited an adjoining property a couple of days before and had seen a different perspective of the stream.
“The owner has three little ones, her and her partner work shifts and it was a fairly big job.
“I’ve got a saw, boots and brew kit, duty called! We all know each other, it was a nice morning so, we all jumped in and smashed it out.”
Jenkins: We are all in this together and so we have to pull together
Chris Jenkins,
“Between the four of us over three hours, we managed to get it flowing nicely. By the end, the water appeared cleaner and the flow had improved immensely.
“It’s fair to say that in parts, it had been ignored by some, but this effects us all. From the top of the road to the bottom and beyond.
“For residents that have any sort of water way that runs through their property, we suggest getting it squared away at the earliest opportunity. We are all in this together and so we have to pull together.”
Dore: Hats, gloves and boots off to them
Councillor Dore added,
“What this demonstrates is community cohesion when it comes to Riparian responsibility.
“Over the weekend, this stream was bought right up to speed and is a shining example of residents taking their Riparian responsibilities seriously.
“Hats, gloves and boots off to them!”
News shared by Chris, in their own words. Ed
