Plans to improve protection after homes flooded

Flood protection around Boston could be strengthened after homes were damaged following heavy rainfall in January 2025.

A report by Lincolnshire County Council recommends that households should consider installing pumps and that the Environment Agency (EA) should develop better warning measures.

About 38 properties in Wyberton West Road and Park Road were affected by the flooding when the South Forty Foot Drain overtopped.

A Boston Borough Council meeting asked a representative of the Black Sluice Internal Drainage Board (IDB) why cracks in a protective wall were not fixed.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, councillor Richard Austin said: "One very disappointing aspect of the investigation is that it identified that the wall where the overtopping occurred was a serious area of risk.

"In fact, there was some serious cracking in that wall. That was identified in June, six months before the flood."

In response, the IDB's chief executive Daniel Withnall said the wall was inspected before winter and a bid was put in for repairs.

"We didn't meet the timings to put that scheme on the bid list, if you like, for that year," he told the meeting.

"We did put it in the following year and actually some money was spent last year to fill some of those cracks."

Withnall added that the IDB was working to attract "further funding to Boston" in a bid to future-proof the area's flood defences.

Also attending the meeting was Morgan Wray, area flood risk manager for the Environment Agency (EA).

He said the agency's warning system was "under constant evolution".

"There was actually [a flood warning] for all that area, but from a tidal flooding perspective," he said.

"What was a flood warning for the fluvial (river) flooding, so rainfall in the wider catchment area."

He added that the flood warning system for the area had been updated.

Listen to highlights fromLincolnshire on BBC Sounds, and watch thelatest episode of Look Northor tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

Download the BBC News app from the App Storefor iPhone and iPad orGoogle Play for Android devices