A lesson for Sidmouth

It is sadly a timely reminder of the devastating impact flood water can have on a town, in this case small town in Valentia, Spain.

The River Sid, although one of the UK’s smallest rivers, can still pack a punch with flood flows up to 100 times greater than dry weather flow.

The River Sid Catchment Group has just published a plan for the Sid catchment, which has addressed not just flooding, but also fish passage, land management and river water quality.

The report entitled River Sid Catchment Plan can be read online at ourriversid@gmail.com or copies are available in Sidmouth Library and Sidmouth Town Council Offices.

The worst floods in the South West over recent years occurred at Boscastle almost 20 years ago, when some 75 mm of rain fell in the narrow, steep-sided valleys above Boscastle in a couple of hours.

Fortunately, at that time there was no loss of life, but the lower town was devastated.

We can’t immediately alter climate change, but we can take steps to help mitigate flooding in the Sid Valley.

The report suggests a need for upstream Natural Flood Management (NFM) whereby areas of low-lying agricultural land can be managed to help hold back flood water.

Along with ways to improve the ecological health of the catchment and restore access for salmon and trout, which in turn encourage birds and wildlife.

Peter Brookes
River Sid Catchment Group