What to do with a ditch....

[satans worm]

We have a ditch that runs the length of our property, now the garden is not all that big and the ditch is over 8ft wide from where it begins to slop to the fence on the other side.

The ditch has a light amount of water in it but never fills up, basically it gets a lot of water from the road that flows into it and is approximately 4 feet deep (the ditch not the water!!)

The environmental agency advised that we are not allowed to pipe and fill (even though the farmer has for his entire field but our 150ft piece at the end is a no no !) but we can bridge it.

Its a new build, so currently the rear garden is entirely mud, weeds/triffids and building rubble!

So I see 2 options to maximise the space

Option 1 is to dig in H beams along one side of the bank, slot in say sleepers between them, then back fill to it. This will create a nice straight edge to put the grass up to and maximise one side of the ditch with a neat vertical, the other side left as a ‘bank ‘ that perhaps we could plant....er...something that doesn’t need maintenance (im no gardener!)!

Option 2 is to do the same on the other side as well and create some kind of bridge of decking that covers the ditch maximising the space right up to the fence.

Whilst option 2 seems the logical and best solution I have a couple of issues, firstly the cost must be considerably higher as not only do i have to do both sides of the ditch but also create some kind of frame work and then fit the decking, and I have to say im not much of a fan of decking.

So does anyone else have any other solutions?

For the beams should I use metal steels and slot in railway sleepers?(expensive) or use concrete posts and stack concrete gravel boards up? (strong enough for the job?)
I would only do this for the rear garden part (about 40ft in total) , the side of the house has gabions, and then depending on the costs, I may repeat the same for the front garden (another 40ft).

The other idea i would like to do is stick a shed round the side of the house over the said ditch.

Would a frame work of steel beams, as mentioned above, support a shed, or would it become the leaning tower of Suffolk

Any ideas, tips and advice as to what to do with the said ditch welcome plus any estimated costs from anyone who has done this before.

Thanks

[mrmaggit]

Why have the Environment Agency said no to piping the ditch?

You can use butt-jointed concrete pipes that will still allow drainage, or perforated/semi-perforated twinwall plastic which will be easier to install without loads of plant.

I know this stuff is readily available in up to 600mm dia, bigger if you ask to an Agricultural/Civils Merchant.

Really can't imagine (unless they want to catch errant motor vehicles) them having a valid objection to piping as long as you maintain some land drainage/road drainage capacity.

[allegro]

I have something similar at the end of my garden, though not as large. Before you start to think about cosmetic solutions it may be worth finding out the exact nature of the ditch. My ditch is an ancient one (as in time team stuff)and used to collect water and flood the garden in wet winters.
On two occasions the water got to within a foot of the house. (the garden is around 45 feet long and gently slopes towards the ditch)

I had a french drain put in (a big trench with spurs either side filled with limestone) and it helped tremendously although the grass suffers in hot summers and you can see the outline of the drain.

If your ditch is liable to flooding i would think more about protecting the house rather than cosmetics.

Hope this isn't the case with your ditch but best to be prepared

[satans worm]

I wish they would allow it, but its a complete no (and in writing). The basic surmise is that too many ditches have been filled in previously and that now they will only grant for exceptional circumstance. This is to reduce the risk of flash flooding.
We were not pleased as the gabions cost alot and are not that great to look at (and Ive goto repair one that has fallen in!)

[satans worm]

allegro said:

I have something similar at the end of my garden, though not as large. Before you start to think about cosmetic solutions it may be worth finding out the exact nature of the ditch. My ditch is an ancient one (as in time team stuff)and used to collect water and flood the garden in wet winters.
On two occasions the water got to within a foot of the house. (the garden is around 45 feet long and gently slopes towards the ditch)

I had a french drain put in (a big trench with spurs either side filled with limestone) and it helped tremendously although the grass suffers in hot summers and you can see the outline of the drain.

If your ditch is liable to flooding i would think more about protecting the house rather than cosmetics.

Hope this isn't the case with your ditch but best to be prepared

Hi

Good points but fortunately not applicable in our case, we have owned the land for over 5 years now and the water never gets more than a few inches deep after even the heaviest of falls, in the summer its just damp mud in the bottom.

[Flintstone]

Edited by Flintstone on Monday 20th December 16:05

[Laurel Green]

^^^^

I was thinking more of building a dam and stocking with fish.

[StevieBee]

satans worm said:

I wish they would allow it, but its a complete no (and in writing). The basic surmise is that too many ditches have been filled in previously and that now they will only grant for exceptional circumstance. This is to reduce the risk of flash flooding.
We were not pleased as the gabions cost alot and are not that great to look at (and Ive goto repair one that has fallen in!)

We have a similar issue.

We live on small estate that was built on farmland during the early 70s. There's a drainage ditch that runs through the middle of it which is more "stream" than ditch and can be quite pleasant but does need a bit of TLC at times. Trouble is, Essex and Suffolk Water own the water that flows through it and the bed. Chelmsford County Council own the banks and the Parish Council own what grows out of the banks. Consequently, nothing ever gets done.

Couple of time a year, a few neighbours get stuck in and give it a bit of a haircut. We did speak to ESW on what we can and can't do which comes down to whatever we do cannot interfere with the natural flow of water as this affects what the water does further up or down stream.

[Busamav]

surprised they will not let you pipe and backfill ,

a recent situation for a mate, the agency allowed to lay a 600mm pipe in the bottom, fill with 20mm aggregate to 1m from the top, then 40mm aggregate to the top.

[Chrisgr31]

Busamav said:

surprised they will not let you pipe and backfill ,

a recent situation for a mate, the agency allowed to lay a 600mm pipe in the bottom, fill with 20mm aggregate to 1m from the top, then 40mm aggregate to the top.

I am not surprised they wont allow it to be filled. A neighbour recently had the Enviroment Agency knocking on the door wanting to look at the ditch at the end of his garden as they were seeking to trace pollution. He let them in, and from his garden they could spot that other neighbours had piped their dtches. They very soon got told to restore the ditch.

For the OP what my friend has done is put a decking over the ditch. gives him the surface area and keeps the agency happy too. Probably a cheaper and easier option too!

[nomisesor]

Chrisgr31 said:

Busamav said:

surprised they will not let you pipe and backfill ,

a recent situation for a mate, the agency allowed to lay a 600mm pipe in the bottom, fill with 20mm aggregate to 1m from the top, then 40mm aggregate to the top.

For the OP what my friend has done is put a decking over the ditch. gives him the surface area and keeps the agency happy too. Probably a cheaper and easier option too!

And you'd have a ready made raft for when the once-in-35yr flood finally comes.

[Some Gump]

Job Jobbed

[Flintstone]

We have a winner.