The National Landscape has a variety of wetland habitats, which often require specialist care. For help and advice on watercourses – responsibilities, permits, maintenance and/or who to contact – please follow the links below.
Owning a Watercourse Guidance issued by the Government, sets out the responsibilities and rules to follow for watercourses on or near your property, and permissions you need to do work around them.
The Get permission to do work in or around a watercourse section explains how you find out which permissions and licences you need to maintain, repair, build or remove anything in or around a watercourse and from which authority they are required – Environment Agency for main rivers; lead local flood authority (either unitary authorities or county councils) or the internal drainage board for any other watercourse.
The Environment Agency’s River and coastal maintenance programme explains the type of flood and coastal risk management assets that are maintained by the Environment Agency and by searching the interactive map, you can check their current maintenance programme.