14/08/2026
Middle Level System – Holme Fen Fire and Water Levels
Update: 14/08/2026
www.middlelevel.gov.uk
The Middle Level Commissioners have been proudly managing water levels in the Fens since 1862.
The pressures on our 190km of strategic waterways caused by the drought conditions and the additional requirements for water to help tackle the major fire incident at Holme Fen are unprecedented and severe. We are very close to a critical tipping point in terms of the water levels in our system.
There has been no demonstrable abstraction from our system for farming irrigation since 27th July 2026 and evaporation caused by the hot weather is also having an impact.
This is a rapidly evolving situation with no significant rainfall on the horizon to help recover water levels.
• We have been involved in multi-agency meetings.
• We have allowed Homewood & District IDB to take water from our system and supported them with additional pumping equipment to enable this. Holme Fen is within Holmewood & District IDB’s area, and their watercourse networks run to and through Holme Fen.
• Local farmers and operatives at the IDB have also been working tirelessly to facilitate the transfer of water to make it available for the fire service.
• We have been liaising closely with the Environment Agency regarding the water that may be available to us to import into our system from the River Nene. This is an activity regulated by the Environment Agency.
• We have been operating our key structures that facilitate water transfer accordingly, namely Stanground Lock, Horsey Toll, Ashline Lock bypass and the gravity slacker at Bevill’s Leam Pumping Station. Locals may have noticed that Bevill’s Leam and the Twenty Foot River are flowing in the reverse direction to that which one would ordinarily expect.
• We took the decision earlier this week to close Lodes End Lock (and therefore the waterways in the West of our system) to navigation. It is expected that this will remain in place until the fire is extinguished and there has been sufficient rainfall to enable recovery of our system.
• We are now equalising the water level across our system and therefore boaters, anglers and other users will have started to notice a drop in water levels in what we call our St Germans pond. This includes the Old Nene, Twenty Foot River, Forty Foot River, Sixteen Foot River, Middle Level Main Drain, Pophams Eau, Ramsey High Lode.
Prognosis:
• Whilst we anticipate the water levels will be reasonable to navigate this weekend (15th & 16th August) boaters should do so with caution.
• Given their perched status from our main system, Well Creek and King’s D**e (Stanground to Ashline Lock) are resilient to the current pressures and water levels should remain reasonably stable.
• All boaters should adjust the slack in their mooring ropes to prepare for lower levels. We have advised our two offline marinas to close their gates to conserve their water level.
• Currently we do not see the need to formally close Ashline Lock, Marmont Priory Lock or Salters Lode Lock to passage or suspend navigation in our main system. Traffic via Stanground Lock has effectively stopped due to the Environment Agency’s closure on the Lower Nene between Orton Lock and Dog-in-a Doublet.
• If boaters choose to navigate on our main system, they do so at their own risk. Vessels have different drafts, and some our waterways are deeper than others.
• As levels drop further and with the continued dry weather, we anticipate the in-channel vegetation (w**d) situation to worsen and to avoid fish distress we may need to suspend our clearance activity.
• Anglers and fishing clubs should be mindful that with lower levels the likelihood of fish distress increases as dissolved oxygen levels worsen.
The situation will remain under review with an update provided if there is a demonstrable change to this position.
Environmental incidents that may occur as levels drop should be reported to the Environment Agency on their incident hotline 0800 807060
Further information about us and our water resources role:
• https://youtu.be/-dR0dzdOXSs
• https://middlelevel.gov.uk/our-operations/water-resources/
Please note we are a small public authority with no communications team and no formal or funded role in responding to civil contingencies. Due to planned annual leave, we are unlikely to be able to serve media requests over the coming weeks as our operational staff need to be focussed on our response and supporting our valued customers.
I want to pay tribute to the fire service, the volunteer service, local farmers and everyone behind the scenes who has been responding to this awful incident in very challenging conditions. Holme Fen is a wonderful place for nature within the Middle Level and is somewhere I visit regularly. it is heart-breaking to see the devastation and my thoughts are with the local community who I know value the site and with colleagues at Natural England.
Paul Burrows
Chief Executive
Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service
Visit Anglian Waterways EA
Huntingdonshire District Council
Great Fen
Sam Carling MP
