AS from April, subject to Parliamentary approval, farmers will be allowed to maintain their own ditches up to 1.5km long.

They can clear the debris and thereby get water off their land more quickly, preventing it from becoming waterlogged, and so improving productivity.

Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss states that there is no single answer to the increase in flooding but says that the best quality farmland is on plains with a risk of flooding and proposes protection for an additional million acres to secure farming.

These measures, if accepted, will directly add to flooding as farmers search to increase their revenue and income. This in direct conflict of what they need to achieve.

Lucky Brompton, near Northallerton, escaped flooding by a few inches on Boxing Day. The Brompton Flood Protection Group aims to follow the examples from Belford, Northumberland, which are encouraged by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) (D&S Times, Jan 8). Water in Brompton Beck comes from farmers’ land, but only a few of them have shown interest in providing the leaky dams or barriers to hold up water for a few hours enabling the peak flow to go by without mayor disruption. This hold up at the early stages would also benefit towns and villages down river.

Bowe Bridge in the village limits water flow due to its small bridge arches. It is also a safety issue when parents take their children to the primary school as it has a single narrow footpath.

Brompton and the surrounding catchment area, including farmers, would all benefit by having a bridge with larger arches and secure footpath.

Claire Bainbridge of RICS argues that farmers have a responsibility for more effective rural land management by having spongy bogs, ponds and planting trees to slow the flow of water and that they should work with the Environment Agency to adopt Integrated Catchment Management.

This makes common sense.

Agencies, politicians and planners should take note but also provide the infrastructure that is required for water networks and water systems. The Dutch accept having the right amount of water for use at the right time in the right place is a socially acceptable cost.

Hubert van Huet, Brompton, Northallerton