News

Collapsed river bank in Warsop to get stabilisation works in summer

By Lauren Monaghan, Junior Local Democracy Reporter

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Stabilisation works for a collapsing river bank costing around £360,000 should start in the summer, the district council says.

Mansfield District Council approved the project for a stretch of the River Meden in Warsop at a meeting today (April 8).

A section of the embankment in the town first collapsed in the winter of 2020 after heavy rainfall.

The affected part of the river sits around 20 metres away from The Willows – council-run retirement housing in Church Street – and council-owned flats in River View.

Bags of gravel were put at the base of the collapse as a temporary emergency measure, but these have now washed away.

Speaking during the meeting, Paul Charlton, a design services officer at the council, said works should start in June or July 2025.

He added: “After almost every rain event there’s further damage to the river bank.

“There’s trees likely to end up in the river if we don’t do something about it relatively soon- ultimately our buildings could be damaged.”

Council documents state further erosion has meant a second part of the river has collapsed about fifty metres downstream from the first section.

Mr Charlton said: “We cannot do anything until June or July this year for salmon spawning season in the river and we’re awaiting final approval from the Environment Agency.”

Mr Charlton told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the council has had to put fencing up near the council-owned properties, as the collapsed building embankment has undermined the footpath and made it unsafe.

He said: “The whole purpose [of the works] is two reasons- to safeguard our own buildings and prevent flooding upstream.

“If we don’t do any work there’s three pretty large trees that will end up in the river if the bank continues to erode.

“That will block the river up and you’re likely to get flooding further up stream which will be private homes, and possibly [council-owned] homes.”

Warsop Carrs Councillor Andrew Burgin (Lab) previously told the LDRS before the works were approved: “It’s a positive, it’s good for the people who live in the area. [They will have] better access to open space right on their back door step.

“Effectively they can go for a short walk and be in a green space and enjoy the weather and nature. It’s something I’ve been asking for since its happened.”

The works will be carried out by civil engineering company Danaher and Walsh, who have produced a re-stabilisation scheme and funded by the authority.