Eaton Socon homeowners said they were unaware they were responsible for clearing the bank until a letter from Cambridgeshire County Council – despite decades of living there
People living near a brook in part of Cambridgeshire have found themselves in a dispute with the council over a tree-clearing bill of thousands of pounds. Eaton Socon homeowners on Field Cottage Road – some of whom have lived in their properties for over 40 years – were shocked to receive a letter last year telling them they were responsible for clearing overgrowth behind their back fences.
Cambridgeshire County Council said they had “riparian responsibilities” to ensure vegetation leading down to Duloe Brook was cleared to prevent flooding. Riparian rights and responsibilities are legal obligations that come with land which borders a body of water, such as a river, lake or brook.
Graham Ottaway, who lives on Field Cottage Road said: “I didn’t believe it – they weren’t prepared to talk about it, they just said that’s the situation and you have to deal with it. They are destroying the value of the properties, setting up a dispute with the council and residents will know that if anyone wants to sell their property they have to disclose that.
“There are mature trees further down and if they fall down, you’re probably talking tens of thousands of pounds – not a couple of quid.”
The 76-year-old said he had previously complained about overgrown foliage around five years ago – but nothing about riparian responsibilities was mentioned then.
He said: “The weeds were so bad they were climbing over our fence – there was no mention of riparian law.”
Roger Whitlock said that he’s lived on the street for 31 years and has never heard anything about riparian rights until the letter was put through his door.
The 76-year-old said: “I said to them it’s never flooded in all the years I’ve known and it’s never been any different. Last year we got a threatening letter in November telling us we had to get it cleared by December – only a few weeks. And if it did flood, it’s because they are going to build thousands of houses all the way up the brook.”
Ann Webb said a piece of land owned by Anglian Water prevents her house from having attached riparian responsibilities but she’s supported her neighbours in their campaign.
The 70-year-old said: “I’ve been here for 41 years and we’ve never heard of such a thing.”
Other residents said they were pleased that progress was being made after raising the issue with their ward councillor, Geoffrey Seeff, and that it was unlikely that the bank could be cleared until at least the end of bird nesting season at the end of August.
Cllr Seeff said that a grant would be sought from the county council to allow Huntingdonshire District Council to carry out the work and hopefully maintain the brook in the future.
The Liberal Democrat councillor said: “It would cost thousands of pounds, some of those residents have got massive trees behind their fences. It was clear the original developer put up the fences and didn’t tell them about the maintenance responsibility because they probably wouldn’t have been sold.
“It’s not an isolated case in Cambridgeshire. The most important thing is that it’s on the radar after we’ve been trying to do something about it.”
Cambridgeshire County Council said they offer grants of up to £10k to carry out watercourse maintenance but have not yet received an application relating to Dulow Brook. They said buyers are “unfortunately not always” told of their riparian responsibilities when purchasing property and have “pushed for the conveyancing process to be updated”.
A spokesperson said: “In general, the responsibility for maintaining watercourses rests with the owners of the adjacent land, however, specific responsibilities can vary, as laid out in leases and legal agreements, especially where occupiers are not the property owners.
“We have written to landowners along this stretch of Duloe Brook to remind them of their responsibilities to keep the channel and banks clear to ensure the risk of flooding is not increased for either themselves or their neighbours. Our officers also met with residents in November 2025 and March 2026 to answer their questions.
“We have recently published a new summary guidance document on riparian ownership which can be viewed here: Watercourse guidance | Cambridgeshire County Council and we are also in the process of producing a guide to buying and selling properties in relation to flood risk and riparian ownership.”
Huntingdonshire District Council was approached for comment.
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