Silt clearing at Diggs Marshes off Brielle Way

A stretch of water that collects drainage from Halfway and parts of Sheerness and Queenborough is being cleared of silt.

Readers might have noticed a JCB digger working on water courses near the Brielle Way flyover, on land known as Diggs Marshes.

The 5,020m network of ditches is looked after by the Lower Medway Internal Drainage Board.

Unless routine work is carried out every 10 to 15 years, the land could potentially flood.

The last time similar digging took place was in 1993, although there was clearance on a smaller scale in 1996.

A total catchment area of 1,060 acres, covering Halfway, the edge of Queenborough and the edge of Sheerness, converges at Diggs Marshes.

Water then flows through the Lappel Bank, which is owned by Peel Ports, and out to sea.

Clerk and engineer at LMIDB, Michael Watson, said: “There are 20 to 30 water courses that we look after just on the Isle of Sheppey.

“It is a massive area, hence the reason it silts up and needs draining.

“Silt gathers from off the roads and from off the land. Because they are not very fast flowing, it sits in suspension and then settles and blocks the drains.”