Councillors stay silent over flooding compensation row

Town and district councillor Fiona Martin and town and county council Bill Aron helped pave the way for the long-awaited £8.4m defence scheme which was officially opened last month.

The defences - at Hemingby - will offer protection from the River Bain to more than 100 residents and business owners in Horncastle.

However, the News has revealed that landowners in the Hemingby area are still waiting for compensation payments from the Environment Agency.

The landowners locked gates leading to the defences just hours after the official opening.

Speaking at the town council meeting, Coun Angela Birchall asked for details about the dispute and questioned how much compensation had been paid.

Coun Martin said she was not prepared to discuss financial details in the meeting and she was supported by Coun Aron.

Coun Martin did say she understood the landowners had not received ‘100 per cent of the money’ owed but Coun Birchall claimed the figure paid out so far was ‘nearer to 50%.’