Drone shots taken above Brede Sluice show the extent of the bank collapse following last Thursday night's storm. Emergency repairs to the river bank and restoring access to Castle Mill Cottages has been taking place all week, with the Environment Agency (EA) describing the structure as "failing."
The footage, taken by Stu Cooper from Clear Air Flying in Winchelsea, was shot on the morning of Tuesday October 22 and show the further erosion of the river bank since last week.
The damaged roadway near the sluice was discovered after heavy evening rain on October 17, with the area quickly cordoned off the following morning. The failed bank has not affected the operation of Brede Sluice although some debris did catch the bottom seals of the tidal gates over the weekend. This has now washed out and the gates are operating as normal.
The current plan is to use piling to stabilise the bottom of the landslip and then fill behind with rock and clay. The road, which gives access to the cottages, will then be laid on top.
Pedestrian access to Rye Harbour Nature Reserve by the sluice is also closed.The EA says it has met residents affected by the closure and is working to ensure some form of access is put in place.
In the full statement given to Rye News, the EA confirmed the ongoing repairs at Brede Sluice are part of work to reduce flood risk in Rye. "These emergency works on the failing structure are taking place during an exceptionally wet autumn, resulting in very high river flows which have caused major erosion of the riverbanks that supported a local access road. We are taking immediate action to reinstate the riverbanks and complete the vital sluice repairs so that flood risk in the area is reduced ahead of further winter rainfall.”
The EA did not comment on whether the repair work contributed to the bank collapse.
