ENVIRONMENT AGENCY weed cutting and herbicide spraying programme 2018

ENVIRONMENT AGENCY
Annual flail, weed cutting and herbicide spraying programme 2018 Notice to farmers and occupiers in the Somerset and North Somerset area
The Environment Agency is advising landowners and occupiers with land adjoining the following main rivers that the 2018 flood defence weed cutting and herbicide spraying will take place broadly in line with the following programme for 2018. The main programme will start in June as normal, but early flailing (cutting) of raised flood banks on the Rivers Tone, Parrett, Yeo and Isle will start in May and continue into June.
We will be carrying out spot weed spraying from April this year using Roundup Pro Biactive (glyphosphate) herbicide to manage vegetation in difficult to access locations. Please remember that a 7 metre strip of land from the top of the bank or back toe of a flood bank should be kept clear for heavy machinery access and maintenance works. Whilst we
make all efforts to minimize damage to crops, we work to very tight deadlines so we can complete all necessary maintenance through the growing season.

Please note that this programme is for guidance only, and we may have to vary it due to weather conditions, weed growth and machine availability. In certain places we are planning to implement more rigorous monitoring of weed growth and water levels. This will provide greater flexibility over whether we carry out weed cutting, should be more efficient and will ensure our resources are available for other priority work.
Herbicide spraying- from April onwards
North Somerset-Alham, Axe, Baltonsborough Millstream, Banwell, Barton and Lydford Millstream, Black Ditch, Blind Pill, Blind Yeo, Brent River, Brue, Cheddar Yeo, Clapton Drove Rhyne, Clevedon Boundary Rhyne, Combe Brook, Congresbury Yeo, Coxbridge Brook, Cripps, Cross Rhyne, Decoy Rhyne, Division Rhyne, Drove Rhyne, Glastonbury Millstream, Glastonbury Canal, Hartlake, Hixham Rhyne, Huntspill, Huntspill Back Ditches, James Wear, Kenn, Keward Brook, Land Yeo, Landcourse Rhyne, LoxYeo, Mark Yeo, Middle Yeo, North Drain, Old Axe, Old Cheddar Canal, Panborough Drain, Panborough Relief Channel, Portbury Ditch, Redlake, Rhynemoor Rhyne, Sandy Rhyne, Sheppey, Shipham Rhyne, South Drain, South Drain Back Ditches, Sperrings Rhyne, St Andrew's Stream, Tickenham Boundary Rhyne, Uphill Great Rhyne, Walton Brook, West Lydford Millstream, Weston Drove Rhyne, Whitelake, Yearling Ditch, Tidal Banks/Coastal Defences.
Somerset - River Tone (Taunton), Saltmoor Main Drain, Hawkcombe Stream, Minehead streams, Hillfarrance FAS, River Avill (Dunster),Washford Stream (Roadwater), River Yeo (Sherborne), River Yeo (Ilchester), River Cary, River Cam, Reedmoor Rhyne, River Parrett (Bridgwater), Hinton Meads Brook, Long Sutton Catchwater and Main Drain, River Ilse (Ilminster), Durleigh Brook, Huntworth brook, Combwich, Cannington Brook, Hamp Brook. Blackbrook Stream, Norton Brook, Galmington Stream, Pill River.

Flail and weed cutting -
from May onwards May: Parrett, Tone, Isle & Yeo
June: Axe (Bleadney), Bimpits Rhyne, Blind Pill Rhyne, Brue, Challis Wall Rhyne, Cross Rhyne, Currymoor Engine Rhyne, Currymoor Main Drain, Decoy Rhyne, Division Rhyne, Glastonbury Millstream, Hartlake, Haymoor Main Drain, Huish Level Rhyne, Huntspill Back Ditches, James Weir, King's Sedgemoor Drain, Back Ditch, Langacre Rhyne, Long Load Main Drain, Long Sutton Catchwater, Long Sutton Main Drain. Mark Yeo, Middlemoor Rhyne, Mis Brook, North Street Rhyne, Northmoor Inlet, Othery Rhyne, Penzoy, Poolmeade Rhyne, River Kenn & Aquascythe, Saltmoor Main Drain, Sheppey, South Drain, Stanmoor Drain, Tank Rhyne, Thorney Moor Main Drain, Tone, Uphill Great Rhyne, West Moor Main Drain.
July: Acid Ditch, Axe, Baltonsborough Millstream, Barton and Lydford Millstreams, Bimpits Rhyne, Black Ditch, Blind Yeo, Brent River, Brue, Burrow Wall Rhyne, Cary, Chedzoy New Cut, Clapton Drove Rhyne, Clevedon Boundary Rhyne, Coxbridge Brook, Cross Rhyne, Currymoor Engine Rhyne, Dunball Rhyne, Glastonbury Canal, Glastonbury Milstream, Gooseum Rhyne, Kenn, Hixham Rhyne, Huntspill South Backditch, Isle, Keward Brook, King's Sedgemoor Drain Back Ditch, Land Yeo, Langacre, Long Load Main Drain, Long Sutton Main Drain, Lox Yeo, Middlemoor Rhyne, Misbrook Rhyne, North Drain, Northmoor Inlet, Northmoor Main Drain, Northstreet Moor Rhyne, Panborough Drain, Panborough Relief Channel, Parrett, Penzoy, Poolmead Rhyne, Portbury Ditch, Redlake. Rhynemoor Rhyne, Tone, Saltmoor Main Drain, Sandy Rhyne, Sheppey, Shortwall Rhyne, South Drain & Backditches, Southmoor Main Drain, Sperrings Rhyne, Stanmoor Main Drain, Stockmoor Rhyne, Thorneymoor Main Drain, Tickenham Boundary Rhyne, West Sedgemoor Back Ditch, West Sedgemoor Main Drain, Westmoor Main Drain, Westonzoyland Engine Rhyne, Whitelake, Wickmoor Rhyne, Yearling Ditch.
August: Baltonsborough Millstream, Banwell, Barton & Lydford Millstream, Blind Pill, Brent, Brue, Burrow Wall, Cary, Challis Wall, Cheddar Yeo, Clapton Drove Rhyne, Congresbury Yeo, Coxbridge Brook, Cripps, Currymoor Main Drain, Decoy Rhyne, Division Rhyne, Drove Rhyne, Dunball Rhyne, Eighteen Feet Rhyne, Glastonbury Canal, Glastonbury Mill Stream, Hambridge Millstream, Hartlake, Haymoor Main Drain, Hixham Rhyne, Huish Level Rhyne, Huntspill Back Ditch, Isle, Isle Brewers Mill Stream, James Weir River, Kenn, King's Sedgemoor Drain & Backditch, Kingsmoor Main Drain, Langacre Rhyne, Long Sutton Catchment, Mark Yeo, Middlemoor Rhyne, Mis Brook, North Street Rhyne, Northmoor Main Drain, Othery Rhyne, Panborough Drain, Parrett, Penzoy, Poolmead Rhyne, Sheppey, Shipham Rhyne, South Drain & Back Ditches, South Moor Main Drain, Sowey, Stockmoor, Tone, Uphill Great Rhyne, Walton Brook, West Moor Main Drain, West Sedgemoor Main Drain, Westport Canal, Whitelake, Yeo, Yeo-Ilchester to Parrett.
September: Axe, Axe (Knowle and Bleadney), Banwell, Barton and Lydford Millstreams, Bimpits Rhyne, Black Ditch, Blind Yeo, Brent River, Brue, Cannington Brook, Challis Wall Rhyne, Cheddar Yeo, Chedzoy New Cut, Clapton Drove Rhyne, Clevedon Boundary Rhyne, Congresbury Yeo, Coxbridge Brook, Cross Rhyne, Currymoor Engine Rhyne, Currymoor Main Drain, Decoy Rhyne, Dunball Rhyne, Durleigh Brook, Eighteen Feet Rhyne, Glastonbury Canal & Millstream, Hixham Rhyne, Huish Level Rhyne, Isle, Kenn, King's Sedgemoor Drain Back Ditch, Kingsmoor Main Drain, Land Yeo, Langacre Rhyne, Long Load Main Drain, Long Sutton Main Drain & Catchwater, LoxYeo, Mark Yeo, North Drain, Northmoor Inlet, Old River Kenn, Othery Rhyne, Penzoy, Penzoy in Southlake, Redlake, Rhynemoor Rhyne, Saltmoor Main Drain, Saltmoor Rhyne, Sowy, South Drain, Stanmoor Main Drain, Tank Rhyne, Thorney Moor Main Drain, Tickenham Boundary Rhyne, Tone, West Sedgemoor Back Ditch, West Sedgemoor Main Drain, Westonzoyland Engine Rhyne, Whitelake, Wickmoor Rhyne, Witcombe Bottom Main Drain, Yeo.
October: Banwell, Clapton Drove Rhyne, Combwich Brook, Congresbury Yeo, Decoy Rhyne, Dunball Rhyne, Hambridge Millstream, Hamp Brook Rhyne, Hinton Meads Brook, Huntworth Stream, Huish Level Rhyne, Isle Brewers Millstream, King's Sedgemoor Drain Back Ditch, Langacre Rhyne, Mark Yeo, Middlemoor Rhyne, Misbrook Rhyne, North Drain, Northmoor Street Rhyne, Poolmead Rhyne, Portbury Ditch, Sandy Rhyne, Shortwall Rhyne, Southmoor Main Drain, Sperrings Rhyne, Thorneymoor Main Drain, Walton Brook, West Port Canal, West Sedgemoor Back Ditch, Westmoor Main Drain.
Flail only: West Somerset Coast between Dunball and Portishead
November: Chedzoy New Cut.

If you have any questions, please contact us on 03708 506 506, asking for the Wessex Operations Delivery Department. We will ask for your address and the name of the river concerned.

www.gov.uk/environment-agency