Father-to-be left £1M out of pocket after flooding turns home into an island only accessible by BOAT six months after river burst its banks as he says ordeal has been 'soul-destroying'

A young farmer has been left more than £1million out of pocket after his fields were flooded by eight-foot deep water when a river burst its banks.

Henry Ward, 33, and his heavily pregnant wife Emma are expecting their first child together this month but instead of preparing excitedly for the big day, the farmer is worried about how he will provide for his family.

Despite living almost 45 miles from the coast, his Lincolnshire farm has been an island only accessible by boat for the last six months, an experience he described as 'soul-destroying'. 

He lost £35,000 overnight in October last year, when the Barlings Eau river burst its banks in two places during Storm Babet, flooding his farm and destroying his high-value wheat, rapeseed and vining pea crops.

Today, the fields his family has farmed for 70 years are still flooded and he faces a year without a harvest, meaning he will lose more than £100,000 in revenue.

Meanwhile, the £1million house he rented out on the farm has been left 'worthless', with his tenant forced to evacuate because of the flood.

The heartbroken expectant father told MailOnline the last six months have been 'horrific' and 'soul-destroying'. He is now pleading with the Environment Agency to ditch  'warm words' in favour of some action.

Father-to-be Henry Ward, 33, (pictured with his wife Emma) has been left £1million out of pocket by his farm being flooded

His farm has been turned into an island surrounded by floodwater — and the only way to reach it is by boat

Mr Ward's farm first flooded back in October (pictured) but the floodwater has remained for six months, ruining his crops

It has also rendered the £1million house he rents out 'worthless'. Pictured: Mr Ward on his boat with the farm and house behind him 

In some places the water is eight feet deep. By going a whole year without a harvest, Mr Ward will lose out on £100,000 of revenue

Yet just around the corner is the Environment Agency's 'bone dry' flood reservoir (pictured behind Mr Ward), which was supposed to save businesses from floods

He said: 'It's very frustrating. That's Grade One soil — you can grow anything on that land, but now it's too risky to farm.

'I'm not able to earn a living from [the farm]. Fences ruined, debris all over the farm, the soil will be dead. It will need a lot of work to get that land back in a fit state to farm.

'It's soul-destroying. Every day you see it and you think, ''How am I meant to make a living and support my family?''

'Mentally it has been horrific. It's gone on for months. 

'We are going to see this more often. Climate change is coming. We need to set something up properly.'

Mr Ward's farm first flooded in 2019, which prompted the Environment Agency to spend £3.5million repairing the riverbank.

In the same year, the Environment Agency proudly declared it had been operating flood reservoirs that could hold more than 210 million cubic feet and protect 7,000 homes and businesses in Lincoln.

The plan was that floodwater would be diverted from rivers into the designated Environment Agency field. 

Yet when the crunch moment came in October last year, the Environment Agency flood reservoir remained 'bone dry'.

Instead, the river burst its banks into Mr Ward's fields and those of his neighbours before the agency's threshold for opening the floodgates was reached.

He said: 'It's happened again four years down the line. It's happened worse this time because there are two breaches in the river bank.

'There's a mile of this river which is completely ruined by these floods.

'They are going to have to spend more than £3.5million if they want to get it back. This is clearly not sustainable.'

Henry Ward, 33, and his heavily pregnant wife Emma are expecting their first child together this month but instead of preparing excitedly for the big day, the farmer is worried about how he will provide for his family 

 The tenant living in his £1million home on his farm was forced to evacuate in October because of the flood

At its peak, the floodwater covered around 2,000 acres of fields owned by 'six or seven' farmers 

Mr Ward told MailOnline: 'It's heartbreaking but we have just got to think pragmatically'

At its peak, the floodwater covered around 2,000 acres of fields owned by 'six or seven' farmers.

One of Mr Ward's neighbouring farmers is Henry Moreton, the Lincolnshire county vice chairman for the National Farmers' Union.

His farm was also flooded during Storm Babet.

He said: 'If I was stood on my farm two days after Storm Babet, I would need a snorkel. 

'I've never seen anything like it in my life.'

Almost a third of Lincolnshire is below sea level but that area also produces a quarter of Britain's fruit and vegetables. 

Last week Mr Ward met with Environment Agency boss Alan Lovell to try and find a solution to the flooding that helps everyone.

He said: 'It still just looks like an inland sea. 

'We have saved thousands of businesses and houses from flooding, but we can't do that for free.

'It's heartbreaking but we have just got to think pragmatically.

'I'm trying to work with them but it's painful dealing with a government organisation.

'We need to think outside the box. The time for warm words is done. We need to get some work done.   

'Why don't we come up with a scheme whereby the Environment Agency lets this land flood in a controlled manner, paying landowners for doing that, keeping businesses and homes from flooding? 

'Let's have some joined-up thinking and use it as a public good to improve flooding resilience in the local area.'

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: 'We fully recognise our farming communities have been particularly impacted by the winter storms and the damage it caused.

'The flooding to the farmland unfortunately happened because of damage to the earth embankments caused by the winter storms. 

'We are working with the affected landowners to drain areas that were flooded using portable pumps across the Lower Witham catchment and make repairs to those damaged embankments. 

'We are also agreeing proposals that will put in place a temporary repair on the Barlings Eau river, subject to weather conditions.

'We will continue to work with the local farming community to address any concerns they raise.'