This is a (23 second video) reminder about 2024 flooding and riparian responsibility. This is surface water flooding caused by drainage channel blockages in the Feather’s Lane and Sarsby Drive area of Wraysbury.
This is an email from: Ben Crampin (RBWM Flood Risk Manager)
To : Jack Rankin MP 28/10/2025
Subject: Re: Clearance – Wraysbury Drain (Case Ref: JR07601)
Dear Mr Rankin
Thank you for contacting us about Wraysbury Parish Council’s concerns regarding blockages to the Wraysbury Drain.
The Council has been working over the last few years to better understand the condition of the watercourse and take forward necessary steps to restore the flow of water downstream. In 2024, following the flooding caused by Storm Henk, the Council undertook a survey of the Wraysbury Drain which includes taking cross sectional measurements at regular intervals. This covered the vast majority of the length of the channel with a couple of other sections to be finalised at a later date.
The survey confirmed a blockage in the channel in Hythe End where the channel has been lost (either filled in or built over) stretching from Feathers Lane to Hythe End Road. The Council has contacted the landowner and negotiated a solution which is of benefit to both the local community and the landowner, mitigating impact to their site while also maximising potential flood relief benefit. This solution is to install an open channel through land owned by the same landowner rather than piping the channel through their site. This solution will therefore have greater storage capacity and will be easier to maintain.
This has been achieved by the Council using its enforcement powers to request this work however the landowners are required to submit applications for Ordinary Watercourse Consent and Planning Permission before work can begin. We are expecting these applications to be submitted by the end of January 2026, and we will ensure the Parish Council are updated when this has been done.
In addition to this, the Council have undertaken further investigations to determine whether the watercourse is piped through the development upstream in Feathers Lane. We have identified a manhole within private land halfway between the open section downstream and the fisheries site and we have now contacted the landowners to request permission to survey this manhole. If this is a piped section of the Wraysbury Drain, we will be able to determine what additional work is required to repair this pipe. If this is not part of the Wraysbury Drain, the Council will then consider next steps to restore flow to the watercourse.
Finally, regarding overall maintenance of the watercourse, the Council’s position at this stage is that it would not be financially sensible to undertake significant silt removal along the length of the watercourse until the above issues have been resolved. This is because any water flowing through the channel will be blocked and will drop additional silt in the areas maintained, meaning work will have to be repeated at a later date. This approach has been discussed and agreed in principle with the Parish Council and we have agreed to take part in their plan to organise a working group for the Wraysbury Drain to discuss next steps once the blockages at Hythe End are resolved.
If you have any more questions about any of the above, please do not hesitate to contact me.
END