AN OXFORDSHIRE farmer has been told to pay £5,100 after carrying out work on his riverbank that could have flooded nearby properties and threatened rare water voles.

Paul Caudwell, owner of Caudwell and Sons Ltd of Gravel Lane, Drayton, was fined £2,600 and told to pay £2,500 by Didcot magistrates on Monday, after the Environment Agency prosecuted him for raising the riverbank and dredging the Ginge Brook.

Caudwell admitted two offences of failing to obtain consent to carry out dredging and forming a structure within eight metres of the bank.

The court heard that on March 13, a member of the public spotted a farmer scraping up the riverbank with a digger and building a barrier of boulders and earth along the banks of the Ginge Brook.

The brook is known to be the home of water voles, which are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

He now has to restore the riverbank as well as pay the fine.

After the hearing, Environment Agency conservation officer Alison Futter said: “We are pleased the court has taken strong action against Mr Caudwell today as it serves as a stark reminder that people must consider the impact of their actions on the environment.

“We are more pleased, however, that the Ginge Brook has been partly restored to the peaceful and vital habitat it was for water voles. We would also urge anyone who wants to carry out work in and around a watercourse to contact us for advice and guidance first.”