{"id":1471,"date":"2026-08-18T14:17:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T13:17:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/?p=1471"},"modified":"2026-08-19T12:25:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T11:25:36","slug":"ufford-pools-breach-latest-18th-august-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/2026\/08\/18\/ufford-pools-breach-latest-18th-august-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Ufford Pools Breach – Latest 18th August 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BBC News, Suffolk says: (link<\/a>) A footbridge damaged after heavy rain is to be restored as part of a longer-term plan to protect the area from the “increasing challenges” of drought and flooding.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hawkeswade Bridge at Ufford, near Woodbridge, Suffolk, forms part of a popular route for walkers beside the River Deben but has been out of bounds since April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Persistent rain had caused a weir structure to fall away, which in turn caused the bridge to partially collapse and water to flow on to surrounding land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust said it created “significant damage to habitats along a large stretch of the river”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The weir breach caused a water-filled crater known as Ufford Hole to drain on to surrounding land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water levels in the Deben dropped by more than a metre as water flowed down a side channel towards the East Suffolk rail line, and the downstream channel was left in puddles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Councils and a consortium of landowners and farmers have worked with the Environment Agency and others to form an action plan, with restoration of the footpath deemed a “top priority”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preparation work is expected to begin by early autumn as a first step to reopen a route described as “well-used and much-loved”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The parish councils of Ufford, Melton and Bromeswell said the dried-out channel from Old Melton Mill to Ufford Hole would be cleared this month to allow water to flow back to the mill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Looking further ahead, the project aims not only to restore the footpath but to improve the resilience of the surrounding landscape,” their statement added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Plans are being developed to help protect the footpath, neighbouring farmland and the railway from the increasing challenges of winter flooding and summer drought.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The broader plan required “significant” additional funding, it added, with possible opportunities for people who “value this special area” to support the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Statement from representatives from Bromeswell, Melton and Ufford Parish Councils who attended a meeting on Tuesday 4th August<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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BBC News, Suffolk says: (link) A footbridge damaged after heavy rain is to be restored as part of a longer-term plan to protect the area from the “increasing challenges” of drought and flooding. The Hawkeswade Bridge at Ufford, near Woodbridge, Suffolk, forms part of a popular route for walkers beside the River Deben but has … Continue reading Ufford Pools Breach – Latest 18th August 2026<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1471"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1483,"href":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1471\/revisions\/1483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}