Too bad for Lydbrook. about 2 hours north of Devon, it won’t be getting beavers this year. At least not the easy way.

A dam shame! Forestry chiefs shelve plans to introduce flood-fighting beavers in Lydbrook

FORESTRY chiefs have ditched plans to introduce beavers this summer to help control flooding in Lydbrook.Nature’s civil engineer, the beaver, was expected to be introduced into the Greathough Brook at the end of August but Forestry Commission workers now say it won’t be possible.

The proposals were first aired at a meeting at Lydbrook Memorial Hall in March when experts explained how beavers could prevent flooding by creating a series of dams at the brook above the village.

Local district councillor Sid Phelps (Green), who is a supporter of the scheme, said he was extremely disappointed by the delay. He said: “It’s a real shame that this project doesn’t seem to be going ahead this summer.

“There were around 80 people at the public meeting and everyone was very keen to see the animal introduced in the area. The Forestry Commission haven’t told us why the beavers aren’t being introduced. I really hope this project isn’t kicked into the long grass.”

The Forestry Commission says it will continue to run ecology and hydrology monitoring throughout the winter and make further announcements on the project at a later date. Lydbrook has been flooded several times in recent years and beavers can create series of dams capable of retaining large amounts of water in Greathough Brook which would otherwise cascade down into Lydbrook.

Derek Gow, an expert who spoke at the March meeting, told Lydbrook residents how putting beavers into Greathough Brook could help avert flooding.

Dams built by beavers act like a sponge, he said and mitigate flooding by storing and then slowly releasing water.

As well as holding back water, the beavers are also said to increase biodiversity in woodland areas with some claiming their activities can help any rare species thrive.

No sponges for you Lydbrook! Not yet anyway. If the name sounds vaguely familiar it’s because you probably saw something of this a few years back. After some pretty dire flooding I guess they were willing to try something drastic. But the forest service said no, we can’t be THAT drastic. A man has to draw the line somewhere, and horrible beavers is where the line gets drawn. Thank goodness.