Needham Market: Storm Babet Information Page


Source: ATLAS 360The Environment Agency has created this page to inform interested parties about the actions taken and planned in Needham Market since Storm Babet in October 2023.


Flood Investigation Report

Led by Suffolk County Council with support from the Environment Agency and other Risk Management Authorities the final report can be found here(External link)

While the flood investigation reports were being developed the Environment Agency have worked on a number of actions:


Flood Warning Service

Our current flood warning area is triggered from water level thresholds being met at gauges at Stowmarket and Creeting. Over the summer 2024, we refined the spatial extent of the flood warning area slightly to make it bigger, and the revised warning area went live in November 2024.

We are aware many properties flooded from the ungauged tributaries of the Orchard Gate Watercourse and Lion Barn Drain. These watercourses are not currently covered by our flood warning service. Without telemetry, we are unable to currently offer a reliable warning in advance of flooding. However, other options are being investigated for this area. The initial findings from these investigations will be available in the summer.


Watercourse Maintenance

The Environment Agency has permissive powers to carry out maintenance, improvement, or construction work on Main Rivers and may choose to use these powers if doing so is a cost-effective way to manage flood risk and protect the environment. As powers are permissive, the Environment Agency is not required to carry out either maintenance or new works on Main Rivers and does so only in the above circumstances.

In Needham Market, as part of our routine maintenance programme, we undertake channel maintenance works, including vegetation clearance from the main river section of the Lion Barn Drain and the lower sections of the Orchardgate Watercourse. The maintenance was completed in November 2024 and remains in the maintenance programme for 2025-26.

On the Main River Gipping we undertake inspection led maintenance, which means vegetation clearance and other activities take place if an inspection of the watercourse indicates work is needed to reduce flood risk to people and property. Visual asset inspection was completed in August 2024, channel was noted to be generally clear with good conveyance at that time.

We also complete operational checks on five structures throughout Needham Market up to four times a year. All structures are in a good state of repair and are known to have operated as expected during recent flooding. These assets include the sluice and weir at Hawks Mill, two weirs close to the B1078/Coddenham Road, and a weir just upstream of the A14 - A140 junction. In addition, we inspect and maintain the flood wall located next to the River Gipping at Crown Street.

As part of our continuous improvement, we have employed consultants who will be carrying out hydraulic modelling to better understand the impact that silt and vegetation in the channel has on flood risk in the town, and whether the Environment Agency’s maintenance regime could be improved. Additional topographic survey has been collected to inform this work. This work will also provide us with an improved hydraulic model of the Lion Barn Drain and Orchardgate Watercourse.


Capital Projects

As a result of Storm Babet (20-21 October 2023) and Storm Henk (2-4 January 2024) a large number of properties across Suffolk suffered the devastating impacts of flooding, including many in Needham Market.

The flooding experienced in Needham Market during winter 2023 was from a number of sources. The River Gipping & Lion Barn Drain (Main Rivers), Orchardgate Watercourse (Ordinary Watercourse) and surface water flooding across the town, in particular around Foxglove Avenue and Maitland Road.

As a priority action we aim to fit measures to homes to reduce the risk of flood water entering at a property level using Property Flood Resilience (PFR). In the longer term, the Environment Agency and Suffolk County Council will investigate whether there are any technically feasible and affordable strategic ways of managing flood risk on the Lion Barn Drain, Orchardgate Watercourse, and surface water sources.

We already have an ongoing PFR project (Needham Market PFR Phase 1) in the town that will be installing PFR measures to 24 properties during 2025. In addition to these properties, we have commenced a Phase 2 project to investigate if PFR measures are suitable for properties that flooded or came close to flooding during Storm Babet and Storm Henk. Initial surveys started in October, and approximately 40 properties have been surveyed. We aim to begin installing PFR measures in late 2025 and into 2026.


Community Engagement

Since Storm Babet we have undertaken and supported the following engagement activities:

  • EA community Information Officers visited Needham Market to talk to residents on 25, 27 and 30 October 2023.
  • 22 December 2023: An information letter sent to the community updating on what happened, the actions taken since Storm Babet and next steps. A copy can be found under Related Documents.
  • 6 February 2024: Supported the town council community meeting.
  • 5 April 2024: Supported at a site visit led by the Member of Parliament (MP) to Pinecroft Way.
  • June 2024: Phase 2 of the PFR project homeowners were sent 2 invitation letters. The first on 5 June and the second, a follow up, at the end of July. August 25 2024, we completed a “door knock” to residents who did not respond to the invitation letters.
  • Mid-August: Phase 1 of the PFR project homeowners were sent an introductory letter by our contractors Lakeside Flood Solutions. This was to arrange pre-installation surveys and to explain the next steps for the 24 properties having PFR measures installed.
  • 12 September 2024: Properties included in Phase 1 were also sent an update email confirming the likely timeframes for the installation of PFR.
  • September 2024: An information letter had been sent out to riparian owners, raising awareness of the rights and responsibilities.
  • 20 November 2024: Needham Market PFR drop-in event


Note: Riparian Ownership Guidance

A Riparian Owner is somebody who has a watercourse running beneath, through or on the border of their land. This might be a river, stream, ditch or buried watercourse.

If you believe you are a riparian owner and would like more information, see the PDF under Related Documents.

Under the Environmental Permitting Regulations, a Flood Risk Activity Permit (FRAP) is required for works in, under, and over a main river, or within 8m of a main river. A FRAP is also required for any works that are designed to contain or divert flood water, including flood walls and flood gates/barriers, whatever the distance from the river. See The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016(External link) for details on what counts as a Flood Risk Activity.

Details of FRAP requirements can be found at Flood risk activities: environmental permits - GOV.UK(External link), including when a permit is required and whether it could come under an exclusion, an exemption, a standard rules permit or a bespoke permit.

Some minor works can be undertaken without a permit, such as vegetation removal by hand, providing the works do not destabilise the riverbanks, and tree roots are left in place. Desilting the river requires a permit, but is covered by an exemption in certain situations (see FRA24, FRA23, FRA22 at FRAP Exemptions(External link)) which is free, quick and simple to register online. There is also an exemption for new flood defences, including flood barriers and flood gates in boundary walls, again this applies in limited circumstances. Further information can be found at FRA26 Exemption(External link).

If the requirements of the FRAP Exemptions cannot be met, then a Bespoke Permit would need to be applied for, further details can be found at Bespoke Permit(External link). The permit application would need to demonstrate that the works would not adversely affect flood risk elsewhere or cause environmental harm.

Sharing Expertise

We have been working closely with Suffolk County Council to collate information, much of it collected by the EA in the aftermath of the floods, to help complete the Section 19 flood investigation report.


Source: ATLAS 360The Environment Agency has created this page to inform interested parties about the actions taken and planned in Needham Market since Storm Babet in October 2023.


Flood Investigation Report

Led by Suffolk County Council with support from the Environment Agency and other Risk Management Authorities the final report can be found here(External link)

While the flood investigation reports were being developed the Environment Agency have worked on a number of actions:


Flood Warning Service

Our current flood warning area is triggered from water level thresholds being met at gauges at Stowmarket and Creeting. Over the summer 2024, we refined the spatial extent of the flood warning area slightly to make it bigger, and the revised warning area went live in November 2024.

We are aware many properties flooded from the ungauged tributaries of the Orchard Gate Watercourse and Lion Barn Drain. These watercourses are not currently covered by our flood warning service. Without telemetry, we are unable to currently offer a reliable warning in advance of flooding. However, other options are being investigated for this area. The initial findings from these investigations will be available in the summer.


Watercourse Maintenance

The Environment Agency has permissive powers to carry out maintenance, improvement, or construction work on Main Rivers and may choose to use these powers if doing so is a cost-effective way to manage flood risk and protect the environment. As powers are permissive, the Environment Agency is not required to carry out either maintenance or new works on Main Rivers and does so only in the above circumstances.

In Needham Market, as part of our routine maintenance programme, we undertake channel maintenance works, including vegetation clearance from the main river section of the Lion Barn Drain and the lower sections of the Orchardgate Watercourse. The maintenance was completed in November 2024 and remains in the maintenance programme for 2025-26.

On the Main River Gipping we undertake inspection led maintenance, which means vegetation clearance and other activities take place if an inspection of the watercourse indicates work is needed to reduce flood risk to people and property. Visual asset inspection was completed in August 2024, channel was noted to be generally clear with good conveyance at that time.

We also complete operational checks on five structures throughout Needham Market up to four times a year. All structures are in a good state of repair and are known to have operated as expected during recent flooding. These assets include the sluice and weir at Hawks Mill, two weirs close to the B1078/Coddenham Road, and a weir just upstream of the A14 - A140 junction. In addition, we inspect and maintain the flood wall located next to the River Gipping at Crown Street.

As part of our continuous improvement, we have employed consultants who will be carrying out hydraulic modelling to better understand the impact that silt and vegetation in the channel has on flood risk in the town, and whether the Environment Agency’s maintenance regime could be improved. Additional topographic survey has been collected to inform this work. This work will also provide us with an improved hydraulic model of the Lion Barn Drain and Orchardgate Watercourse.


Capital Projects

As a result of Storm Babet (20-21 October 2023) and Storm Henk (2-4 January 2024) a large number of properties across Suffolk suffered the devastating impacts of flooding, including many in Needham Market.

The flooding experienced in Needham Market during winter 2023 was from a number of sources. The River Gipping & Lion Barn Drain (Main Rivers), Orchardgate Watercourse (Ordinary Watercourse) and surface water flooding across the town, in particular around Foxglove Avenue and Maitland Road.

As a priority action we aim to fit measures to homes to reduce the risk of flood water entering at a property level using Property Flood Resilience (PFR). In the longer term, the Environment Agency and Suffolk County Council will investigate whether there are any technically feasible and affordable strategic ways of managing flood risk on the Lion Barn Drain, Orchardgate Watercourse, and surface water sources.

We already have an ongoing PFR project (Needham Market PFR Phase 1) in the town that will be installing PFR measures to 24 properties during 2025. In addition to these properties, we have commenced a Phase 2 project to investigate if PFR measures are suitable for properties that flooded or came close to flooding during Storm Babet and Storm Henk. Initial surveys started in October, and approximately 40 properties have been surveyed. We aim to begin installing PFR measures in late 2025 and into 2026.


Community Engagement

Since Storm Babet we have undertaken and supported the following engagement activities:

  • EA community Information Officers visited Needham Market to talk to residents on 25, 27 and 30 October 2023.
  • 22 December 2023: An information letter sent to the community updating on what happened, the actions taken since Storm Babet and next steps. A copy can be found under Related Documents.
  • 6 February 2024: Supported the town council community meeting.
  • 5 April 2024: Supported at a site visit led by the Member of Parliament (MP) to Pinecroft Way.
  • June 2024: Phase 2 of the PFR project homeowners were sent 2 invitation letters. The first on 5 June and the second, a follow up, at the end of July. August 25 2024, we completed a “door knock” to residents who did not respond to the invitation letters.
  • Mid-August: Phase 1 of the PFR project homeowners were sent an introductory letter by our contractors Lakeside Flood Solutions. This was to arrange pre-installation surveys and to explain the next steps for the 24 properties having PFR measures installed.
  • 12 September 2024: Properties included in Phase 1 were also sent an update email confirming the likely timeframes for the installation of PFR.
  • September 2024: An information letter had been sent out to riparian owners, raising awareness of the rights and responsibilities.
  • 20 November 2024: Needham Market PFR drop-in event


Note: Riparian Ownership Guidance

A Riparian Owner is somebody who has a watercourse running beneath, through or on the border of their land. This might be a river, stream, ditch or buried watercourse.

If you believe you are a riparian owner and would like more information, see the PDF under Related Documents.

Under the Environmental Permitting Regulations, a Flood Risk Activity Permit (FRAP) is required for works in, under, and over a main river, or within 8m of a main river. A FRAP is also required for any works that are designed to contain or divert flood water, including flood walls and flood gates/barriers, whatever the distance from the river. See The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016(External link) for details on what counts as a Flood Risk Activity.

Details of FRAP requirements can be found at Flood risk activities: environmental permits - GOV.UK(External link), including when a permit is required and whether it could come under an exclusion, an exemption, a standard rules permit or a bespoke permit.

Some minor works can be undertaken without a permit, such as vegetation removal by hand, providing the works do not destabilise the riverbanks, and tree roots are left in place. Desilting the river requires a permit, but is covered by an exemption in certain situations (see FRA24, FRA23, FRA22 at FRAP Exemptions(External link)) which is free, quick and simple to register online. There is also an exemption for new flood defences, including flood barriers and flood gates in boundary walls, again this applies in limited circumstances. Further information can be found at FRA26 Exemption(External link).

If the requirements of the FRAP Exemptions cannot be met, then a Bespoke Permit would need to be applied for, further details can be found at Bespoke Permit(External link). The permit application would need to demonstrate that the works would not adversely affect flood risk elsewhere or cause environmental harm.

Sharing Expertise

We have been working closely with Suffolk County Council to collate information, much of it collected by the EA in the aftermath of the floods, to help complete the Section 19 flood investigation report.

Page last updated: 26 Mar 2025, 06:25 PM