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Rare Meadow Flooded Again by Pipe Burst
18 Sep
Summary
- A wildlife charity faces losing a grant due to repeated flooding.
- The rare floodplain meadow habitat is damaged by summer water.
- Thames Water has fixed the latest burst pipe after delays.
A wildlife charity in Oxfordshire is concerned about losing a significant funding grant due to a recurring issue with burst water pipes. The Long Mead Local Wildlife Site, a rare floodplain meadow habitat, has experienced its fourth flood caused by mains failure. This recurring event, particularly damaging as it occurs outside the natural winter flooding period, threatens the specialist plants and grasses unique to this habitat.
The site plays a crucial role in a county-wide restoration program, serving as a donor site for seeds used to revive similar rare habitats. Volunteers have painstakingly cultivated over 11,500 specialist plants for this initiative. The latest flooding occurred on the very day planned restoration works were to commence following the previous incident, jeopardizing the timely completion required for the grant.
Thames Water has confirmed that the recent burst pipe has been repaired. However, the company noted that heavy rainfall and high water volumes had delayed the repair process, preventing engineers from safely accessing the site sooner. Thames Water stated its commitment to protecting local wildlife sites and will continue to monitor the water main for future preventative measures.
