Sandringham's newest resident may need wellington boots

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is looking forward to a quiet life at Sandringham’s Marsh Farm, but it turns out his new estate comes with a watery warning. 

The property sits on a flood plain, just a stone’s throw from Dersingham Bog on the Sandringham Royal Estate, part of the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. 

Locals know the marshes have flooded in the past, thanks in part to being only two miles from the estuary known as The Wash. 

Residents have been encouraged to sign up for Environment Agency flood alerts in case the countryside’s drainage measures fail.

The farmland around Marsh Farm lies below sea level, yet rainwater usually drains efficiently to the Wolferton Pumping Station, which boasts three pumps each capable of moving 1,600 litres of water per second that’s 96,000 litres every minute. 

The original pumping station was opened in 1948 by King George VI to bring the marshland into production, with a modern, eco-friendly version unveiled by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2020.

Still, caution is advised. A recent flood risk report for nearby Wolferton Barns recommended that anyone living at Marsh Farm should be added to the flood warning system, just in case the pumping station ever has a mechanical hiccup. 

Ellingham Consulting, which produced the report, noted that the Environment Agency’s Floodline Warnings Service is in place to alert residents and help them act quickly to protect life and property.