Plans to improve more than 84 miles of riverbank in the Cambridgeshire Fens as part of a £23 million project have been announced. 

The flood risk riverbank improvement scheme, run by the Middle Level Commissioners (MLC) based in March, aims to maintain flood resilience across more than 136 kilometres of river embankment stretching from West Cambridgeshire to West Norfolk. 

Work to the riverbanks will be carried out by removing material from the riverbeds, known as dredging, and placing it on top and behind the riverbank to raise the existing level. 

“Where there isn’t enough material to reuse, we will import locally sourced material,” said a MLC spokesperson.  

“In some areas there is not enough room to raise the riverbank with an earth embankment.  

“In these locations we will need to install a hard flood defence, such as sheet piles or walls.” 

The MLC are responsible for around 118 miles of major watercourses.  

It provides flood risk management that protects more than 140,850 acres of agricultural land, road links and railway lines, power stations and a prison in Cambridgeshire. 

The MLC said the first phase of works, which mainly involves dredging works across the district it covers, are under way, which mainly consist of dredging spread across the district. 

This is being carried out using long reach machines, which pull the material from the riverbed and onto the riverbank. 

“As part of this work, we are currently investigating the possibility of carrying out dredging works on the River Nene (old course) through March town in late 2023,” the MLC spokesperson added. 

“If this goes ahead, it will be carried out from the river using a suction dredging method, due to bankside access restrictions.” 

The material is planned to be pumped to two storage areas to the east and west of March. 

All works are due to take five years to complete, and the MLC said they are “planning our engagement with our stakeholders and the local communities”.