Flash flood warning to dam-builders

A father and his six-year-old son have been ordered to stop building pebble dams in a stream – in case they trigger flash flooding.

Council bosses issued a baffled Rob Johnson with the directive over concerns that his five-inch dams could block the flow of the Nettleham Beck, near Lincoln – which dramatically burst its banks in June 2007.

Nettleham Parish Council chiefs say that any blockage must be removed to ensure the small stream flows freely.



But Mr Johnson of Dalderby Crescent says the council has gone too far – and now has nowhere to build dams with his son Daniel (six). "I am gobsmacked," he said. "This is about a child being supervised by a parent in a stream two inches deep. It's just ridiculous. We had numerous people stopping us and saying they used to do it with their grand-kids."

House husband Mr Johnson learned about the council's view of the dams when a letter dropped through his letterbox.

Terry Williams, chairman of the parish council, said: "We can't have people doing this sort of thing on a willy-nilly basis."