§ Mr. de Freitasasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many acres in Lincoln and Lincolnshire, respectively, have been flooded; what is his estimate of the damage; and what he proposes to do to prevent such flooding in the future.
§ Mr. John HareAs I stated in my reply to the hon. Members for Newbury (Mr. Hurd) and Goole (Mr. G. Jeger) on 10th July, about 12,000 acres of agricultural land was flooded in Lincolnshire, while in the City of Lincoln there was shallow flooding of two or three roads and a few houses and the sewage farm was partly affected for a short time. The estimated agricultural damage is very roughly of the order of £150,000, apart from water-logging and storm damage. Protective works are a matter for the drainage authorities, especially the Lincolnshire River Board, with whom my engineers are in close touch. Any schemes put forward for grant-aid will be urgently considered.