[TowerWill]

The Dour water level has dropped quite a bit but the current is still very fast. I don't know how much this is affecting water fowl chicks and their survival rates but the Bowling Green pair (the pair nearest to the footbridge) appear to have only one chick so far this year. I think they had 3 or 4 this time last year. This chick is keeping close to the river wall much of the time. Still plenty of brown trout near the footbridge though.

[TowerWill]

We haven't been along the Barton Path for quite a long time Cletus. In fact it was quite shallow then but thinking back to when I went to Castlemount School Annex in 1961, the little side stream nearby would sometimes have quite fast running water and then be nearly dry at other times. Back down near the Bowling Green the moorhens can now walk along a pipe recently covered by water. We took the train to Victoria yesterday and saw that the fields near Bekesbourne were still flooded in places by the Nailbourne.

[Cletus]

The river was seemingly a bit higher today along Barton Path, and much muddier as if after rain. I can't remember it really raining recently, or does it just take that long to reach the town?

[TowerWill]

Spring on the Dour at last. The river level has dropped several inches and two pairs of moorhens were fighting beak and claw in the river opposite the bowling green. The vicious little birds laid on their backs in the water to attack each other with their claws. It looks like we may have two breeding pairs on that stretch of the river this year.

[TowerWill]

Nice photos delboy! I'd forgotten that name for the Alkham Valley Nailbourne. I typed the name Drelingore into Bing Maps and it took me to a place near the pumping station. Not many other buildings there though. It's a good job the bit of river beside Morrisons was dredged as it's thundering over the weir there, as high as I've ever seen it. Ted and I waded through that covered over section where you used to work at DEW delboy.

[delboy]

Alkham Village Green and the Drellingdore running, taken last Wednesday.

[TowerWill]

Yes, it's all getting very dodgy in low lying areas. Very nasty for those people who's homes have been flooded. My old girl owns a house in Dour Street so fingers crossed there! I saw streams running today that I've never seen before, despite many years with British Rail. We saw places where landslides have been too and lots of P.Way staff were out by the tracks.

[Andyb]

Environment Agency are now warning residents in low lying areas of Alkham Valley to be flood aware and take precautions.

From Environment Agency SE Twitter feed 18:00

[Sentinel S4]

I got the Trailer to run me out onto Chartham Downs over the weekend, still can't drive 'cos of ankle. The Nailbourne there is in a pipe, I know this was done back in the early 1990's, but lower down it is showing signs of overflowing that. I believe that if this weather carries on then I will see her rise for the full length again.

S4.

[TowerWill]

From the trains today we could see how the Elham Nailbourne has spread out across the fields at Bekesbourne and also that there has been a considerable chalk fall at Shakespeare cliff.Network Rail are putting a 40 MPH speed restriction in place this evening.

[TowerWill]

Right Andyb, it's really flowing now then. All this wet and windy weather causing a lot of problems on the local railways too. Fingers crossed it doesn't cause a landslip along the Warren. I wonder what the situation is at the HolyWell near Folkestone. I've forgotton how many decades ago it was when I saw the water there flowing across the fields.

[Andyb]

Nailbourne has just overflowed and flooded Brewery Lane, Bridge.

[TowerWill]

The Dour is still rising and I see there's a flood alert in place for the Elham Valley Nailbourne. The Dour yesterday was flowing over a pipe that's below the pedestrian bridge near the Bowling Green. Normally it's well below this pipe. The  moorhens are finding it hard to locate perches too.

[TowerWill]

That's interesting skinny. We were on a Victoria bound train a couple of weeks ago and saw it was running again near Bekesbourne station. Again from the top of a double decker bus on the Canterbury/Folkestone Scenic Route we were able to see it running a few years ago. It also had the habit of flowing below the surface in places and appeared to have a spring in a golf course near the top of the Elham Valley.

[skinny]

Regarding the Elham Valley Nailbourne.
I had a conversation with a chap from the Environment Agency last night and he said that the Nailbourne was running from the Black Robin at Kingston.