Landowners living along the banks of the River Deben are calling for more robust government action to prevent a repeat of the devastating Storm Babet floods.

More than 200 homes in the Deben catchment were engulfed during the hugely damaging floods of October 20, 2023. One man died - Calvin Baxter, 78, of Wickham Market - and damage was caused to crops and property.

Worried landowners have now formed a campaign group - called the Lower Deben Riparian Owners Group (LDOG) - to lobby for a much more proactive approach from government bodies.

The River Deben (Image: Lucy Taylor)

They fear that it's a case of when - rather than if - homes and properties are flooded once again unless action is taken and want to see a more proactive approach from the Environment Agency.

The group - covering the eight miles of the Lower Deben - is headed up by chairman Sir Michael Bunbury of Naunton Hall Farms at Rendlesham.

More than 20 river landowners - known as riparian owners - attended a gathering on August 20 at which they decided to form the new body.

Last week, the newly-formed group began signing up as many riparian or river land owners between Kettleburgh and Melton as they can as members.

Now a committee has been formed which includes major farmers along the river - James Foskett of James Foskett Farms, Bromeswell, Guy Hayward of Bridge and Ivy Farms of Wickham Market and Bruce Kerr of Kerr Farms at Letheringham.

The River Deben (Image: Lucy Taylor) Other members of the newly-formed group are former Suffolk Show president Stephen Fletcher of Charsfield and Trevor Gill, who owns land at Letheringham.

"We confidently expect to have 20 or more owners signed up," said Sir Michael. "I should be very disappointed and surprised if we don't get more than 50% of the owners signed up."

They want to ensure that the health of the river is ensured - and that flows are protected at critical points downriver.

"Our aim is to make sure that the lower freshwater Deben is an effective carrier of water at times of storm," said Sir Michael.

Sir Michael Bunbury of Naunton Hall Farms, Rendlesham, chairman of the Lower Deben Riparian Owners' Group (Image: Lucy Taylor) The Babet floods showed that the current regime isn't working and the threat of flood is ever-present, the group believes.

Overall, 209 properties in the Deben catchment are reported as being flooded including at Debenham, Earl Soham, Ufford and Wickham Market.

"These are human beings' homes and thank the Lord I have never been flooded out but it's very clear that it's an incredibly distressing event," said Sir Michael.

"We feel that government in its broadest sense has an absolute responsibility to the citizens of the Deben Valley."

It should be acting to ensure that homes and properties can't be flooded again, he said.

When he was growing up, it was the responsibility of the National Rivers Authority to ensure the river remained an "effective carrier of water" and it would carry out maintenance work, he says.

"The current state of affairs is that the Environment Agency - and I don't want to damn the Environment Agency - they have the power to do work but they don't have a duty to do work on the river. The duty to keep the river clear actually falls on the landowners either side, " he said.

"It's something relatively few landowners knew until a year ago."

While riparian owners are cited by the Environment Agency as responsible for their stretch of river, carrying out works can be fraught with difficulty as they can be prosecuted if they get it wrong.

Mr Hayward wanted to desilt an area under a road bridge to help prevent flooding but was thwarted as he would have needed a licence which would be costly and the process long-winded.

A team of Environment Agency workers arrived to carry out the work recently but left because conditions were too wet.

Mr Hayward saw three of his farm tenants flooded out and widespread flooding of his land and said a co-ordinated plan is needed.

"The Environment Agency has a legal duty to protect people's properties from flooding and they have failed on that," he said.

The group would like to see government adopting a similar approach to one taken in the Netherlands where flooding is a constant threat. Upriver, the river is slowed, and in the middle section lakes and reservoirs take excess water. Meanwhile the river is kept clear downstream to prevent flooding - allowing excess water to reach the sea.

"We need it to slow down upriver and when it gets to the lower level we need to get it out to sea," said Mr Hayward.

Mr Foskett's farmhouse was flooded during Storm Babet. Farmers had no interest in lowering river levels but wanted to maintain them at healthy levels so that they could fill their reservoirs when water is at its peak - enabling them to irrigate crops during the summer months, he said. 

The River Deben is about 34 miles long.