MP says reintroducing beavers could combat flooding

Alberto Costa is calling for beavers to be reintroduced into the county

Beavers should be reintroduced in Leicestershire to combat flooding in the area, an MP has said.

Alberto Costa, who represents South Leicestershire, claims dams built by the creatures "help reduce water flow and flood risk".

His comments came after hundreds of homes were flooded and a major incident declared in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland on 6 January.

In Costa's constituency, schools, a church, new social housing and whole villages were "submerged", the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

Costa also called on the government to make reforms to the planning system

Some areas almost turned into "islands", the MP said in a letter to flooding minister Emma Hardy.

According to the LDRS, Costa said the reintroduction of beavers would need to be done in collaboration with local farmers to ensure risk to land is minimised.

He also suggested changes be made to the planning system and called on the government to start making the "necessary reforms and changes to protect our constituents and communities".

"We cannot continue building on flood zones 1 (the most at risk areas for flooding), we need to maintain these protections," Costa added.

"We also need to rethink the types of of homes we build to ensure they can withstand flooding."

There was widespread flooding across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland

Ben Devine, head of nature recovery at Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust, said beavers were once widespread across the country and "played a crucial role in our wetland landscapes until they were hunted to extinction in the 16th Century".

He called them "nature's finest wetland engineers" and said they helped "create habitats that benefit other wildlife".

Mr Devine added: "Research by the University of Exeter and Devon Wildlife Trust based on a ten-year study of wild-living beavers in Devon shows that the animals are having a positive impact on flood and drought alleviation.

"The Wildlife Trusts are committed to working with communities and authorities at catchment scale ensuring robust feasibility and consultation to support successful wild beaver releases across England and Wales."

A government spokesperson said: "Flooding this winter has shown there is much more work needed to be done to protect communities from the devastating impact it leaves behind.

"We are taking action now – investing £2.4bn over the next two years to build and maintain flood defences, which will protect homes and businesses across the country, and our new Flood Resilience Taskforce will turbocharge the development of new drainage systems and natural flood management schemes.

"We are also working with Natural England to review options on species reintroduction, including beavers."