A FIELD was deluged with water after a river burst its banks.

The tides in Wivenhoe reached their highest this year on Thursday measuring at 3.39 metres.

The highest ever recorded level is four metres.

The Roman River burst its banks near Fingringhoe Bridge at about 2pm and water started spilling into the neighbouring field.

Paul Nice, a resident from Fingringhoe, was driving past at the time and stopped to look, curious as to whether the Wivenhoe tidal barrier, known as the Colne Barrier, had been left open.

He said: “I was driving back from Rowhedge when I saw it, it looked like a waterfall.

“It just kept rushing through and I imagine the poor sheep in the field were paddling, they were looking bewildered.

“I think there is usually cattle in there too.

“It was the highest tide of the year and usually the tidal barrier is closed.

“We had really heavy rain as well, about an inch, the night before.”

Gazette:

Photo by Environment Agency 

He said although the land was a floodplain and was designed to deal with heavy tides, the incident perhaps could have been avoided.

The Environment Agency has since confirmed, however, the barrier was closed.

Mr Nice added: “The Strood was also the deepest I have seen it. It was very windy as well, it nearly blew me over.

“I imagine the field would be completely under water now.”

The Environment Agency operates the barrier using two giant lock gates to manage water levels.

The gates are kept open most of the time but are closed when there is a particularly high tide.

When the barrier was built in 1994, its designers looked at tide timings and estimated it would have to be shut about 12 times a year.

Gazette:

Construction in progress... photo by Mike Downes

An Environment Agency spokesman said: “The Colne Barrier was manned and closed on the Thursday afternoon tide.

“The overtopping observed in the Roman River near Fingringhoe Bridge was due high river flows upstream, caused by heavy rainfall, being unable to pass through the closed barrier.

“Occasionally this will cause overtopping in the low points of some privately maintained defences.

“It does not put people, houses and businesses at flood risk.”