Repairs at Compton Lock reach half-way stage

The new steps at Compton Lock, on the Itchen Navigation, have now been installed and the eroded bank re-instated, at a cost of £12,700.

It repairs the damage done in the 2014 flood and by the wear and tear of almost 20 years of heavy use.

The contract was carried out for Twyford Parish Council by Aquascience of Romsey, specialists in river engineering.

Aquascience needed a permit from the Environment Agency to work in the river. The Itchen is highly sensitive and the work was delayed until the spring so migrating salmon could spawn without the water being disturbed.

The new steps are much more substantial than the ones they replace; they now form part of the reinforcing of the bank as well as enabling the many visitors (and their dogs) to get out of the water safely and easily. The bank behind the steps had been worn away by the flood and by the continuous flow of the river; this has now been refilled and compacted.

The second phase will be the restoration of Twyford Meads water meadows. Dr. Kathy Stearn is concluding her assessment of the meads.

She is updating the management objectives, advising on the repair and improvement of the 17th century system and applying for the permits from Natural England to do the works. Over 100 people came to her talk in Twyford parish hall last month to hear her talk on how water meadows were operated over the last 350 years

She has identified many tasks, digging out ditches where the cattle have puddled them, raising the levels where the ground has dried out and shrunk, replacing boards which hold the banks of the larger streams in place, identifying the locations where there are old brick culverts and repairing those in danger of collapse, designing and constructing information boards, improving fencing and gates and keeping the footpaths in good repair. The digging of ditches and other work is likely to take place in the Autumn.

The funding of the Compton Lock work has come in the first place from Twyford Parish Council who allocated £5,000 with money coming from other local authorities: Hampshire County Council, £5,000; South Downs National Park, £6,000; and Compton and Shawford Parish Council, £500.

After the costs of the first phase, there is about £6,000 available for Phase 2.

Welcoming the successful completion of this stage, chairman of Twyford Parish Council, Waine Lawton said: “I am delighted with the superb repair to the lock steps and look forward to the further work being done on our historic water meadows.”