Sudbury to the Sea event gets the go ahead despite river running dry

Organisers of the annual Sudbury to the Sea event say they have had to warn canoeists and rowers they will have to negotiate a dry river bed on some parts of the route this year.

Water levels along the River Stour at Nayland have dropped substantially, with some parts of the river completely dry.

Residents in Nayland and Stoke-by-Nayland have been posting pictures of the dry river bed in the village on social media, calling for action. They say they have never seen the river so low before.

Last month, it was reported that the Environment Agency had rescued 1,000 fish from a weir in Nayland because of the diminishing water levels.

The agency cited persistent low rainfall as the cause.

Some residents have questioned whether the annual 37-kilometre river event from Sudbury to the Cattawade barrier, which is run by the River Stour Trust, would be able to go ahead at the weekend.

The event, also called S2C, has run since 1970 and was originally designed to ensure that the route was used, and to note any problems on the river.

But Catherine Burrows, from the River Stour Trust, said the event would still go ahead, with 300 crafts registered to take part this year.

She said: “It’s very dry. We have given everyone the heads-up, and there are sections of the river where craft will have to be dragged or lifted.

“There was a blockage at Bures a few months ago so that might have affected it.”

She said the charity was aware that water levels near The Anchor in Nayland were low.

It would affect participants camping overnight at Rushbank Farm, Wissington, when they re- joined the event on Sunday morning, as the river levels are low in the area.

The canoeists will set off from the river alongside The Granary in Quay Lane, Sudbury, between 8.30am and 11am on Saturday.

The next day, there is an earlier start as participants make their way to the river from between 7.30am and 10am.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said the second lowest volume of flow in the Stour in a 56-year period had been recorded in the winter.

He said: “In East Anglia, we have the lowest rainfall in the country, which means there is less water available here than elsewhere.

“Consequently, this means that the licences we issue to abstract water have volumes that restrict how much, and when, water can be taken. This is to ensure that the environment does not suffer, as we must maintain a certain flow in the rivers.

“We work hard to balance the water needs of people, businesses, farmers and the environment.

“We have imposed restrictions on the amount of water that some licence holders in the River Stour catchment can take from the river for spray irrigation and these will be in place until October 31.

“This was done to help prevent environmental impacts caused by the low flows currently in the River Stour.”