Water vole harm probe 'waste of taxpayer money'

Water voles are rare and threatened

A five-week police investigation has concluded there is no evidence water voles or their habitats were harmed by flood prevention work.

The Trent Valley Internal Drainage Board was asked to report itself to the authorities after work to de-silt and cut weeds along parts of the River Smite in Nottinghamshire was deemed to breach regulations by the Environment Agency, which had commissioned the maintenance.

The board had strongly denied causing harm to water voles and said while the result was expected, it was disappointed "common sense" had not been applied earlier.

The Environment Agency said it took its responsibilities "very seriously" and staff "always follow standard procedure".

The River Smite helps drain the Vale of Belvoir

Water voles are protected under Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and are listed as rare and threatened under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act.

The Environment Agency, which is responsible for maintaining the River Smite, said while it was not clear if water voles were present at the time of the work - because a survey had not completed - their presence could not be ruled out.

The agency had commissioned the drainage board to remove obstructions from 4km of the river to improve capacity and water flow following complaints from residents and local farmers.

Work started on 2km of the watercourse at Thoroton in November but was halted after a week due to concerns by the agency.

Nottinghamshire Police's investigation looked through documents supplied by the agency that showed that material removed [from the River Smite] should have been placed further into the field margin rather than on the bank top.

It found this work did appear to go beyond what was agreed but with no survey on the presence of a protected mammal in that area, there was insufficient evidence to prove an offence had occurred.

The force's report said in this instance, if there had been evidence of water voles, the "reckless element might be relevant here where work doesn't follow exactly advice or licence conditions".

It concluded the evidential criteria for a prosecution had not been reached.

John Miller says he was shocked by the agency's "over the top" reaction

The drainage board told the BBC it welcomed the conclusion of the police investigation but had been left frustrated.

John Miller, the board's chairman, said: "This whole process has been a waste of police time, the board's time and a waste of taxpayers' money, and after a five-week investigation and no criminal case to answer, the job to alleviate flooding still needs to be done.

"The relationship has been damaged and who will want to carry out that work if they're going to be accused of criminal damage?"

Nottinghamshire Police confirmed the investigation had concluded but would not comment further when contacted by the BBC.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency added: "We take our role very seriously and always follow standard procedure when assessing any potential impacts to the environment.

"Following the decision of Nottinghamshire Police, we are continuing to work with the Trent Valley Internal Drainage Board to resolve the issues on the River Smite.''