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Woman puts up 'ugly' boards to protect cottage

Henrietta Edwards Cottage with wooden board barricading around it and a car driving past in flood waterHenrietta Edwards
Henrietta Edwards has put up wooden boards around her home in the hope they will stop water seeping in

A woman in a 300-year-old Grade I listed cottage has said she had barricaded her home with "ugly" wooden boards to prevent flooding.

Henrietta Edwards has lived in her Finchingfield cottage in Essex for 18 years.

She said blocked drains on the road outside had caused floodwater which was then splashed onto the property by passing vehicles.

However, an Essex Highways spokesperson said it believed the issue was caused by a nearby blocked ditch, which is privately owned.

Henrietta Edwards Blonde woman standing next to wooden boards while standing outside her cottage in EssexHenrietta Edwards
Henrietta Edwards said she had put up the boards in order to protect her "beloved" family home

Ms Edwards said there had been a problem for the past few months, with damage to the walls and front door and water also seeping into carpets.

"In an attempt to protect our cottage and home we have been forced to place the boards up.

"There are four blocked road gullies along the B1057 and they have been blocked for a substantial amount of time now," she said.

"The rain gathers on the road in front of the properties and then as the cars come across our house, the water is splashing and engulfing our family home."

She admitted she was not happy to put up the "very ugly" plyboards in a village known for its reputation as one of the prettiest places to live in the country.

She also claimed the last time the gullies had been cleaned was in 2019.

However, a Essex Highways spokesperson, said the blame for the flooding lay elsewhere.

"We are aware of this issue and have visited the area to conduct an inspection.

"We believe the drainage issue is being caused by a nearby blocked ditch, which is privately owned. We have made the landowner aware of the issue."

The spokesperson said inspections and drain cleaning took place every year.

"However, due to the recent high levels of rainfall and flooding across the county, it is taking longer for water levels to drain in some maintained gullies, or drainage owned by water authorities, " they added.

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