Pensioner forced to cough up five-figure sum to maintain stream outside home after council invokes centuries-old law

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A 76-year-old homeowner could be facing a five-figure bill after his local council invoked centuries-old laws to make him responsible for a nearby stream.Graham Ottaway purchased his semi-detached property in St Neots with his wife around nine years ago, believing his boundary ended at the garden fence.Weeks ago, Cambridgeshire County Council told him and his neighbours they must maintain the waterway and surrounding vegetation under "riparian law".Riparian rights and responsibilities are legal obligations attached to land bordering watercourses such as rivers, streams, lakes, ditches or brooks.Landowners with such duties must maintain the waterway, address blockages, prevent flooding and pollution, and protect local wildlife.These obligations stem from common law dating back to ancient Rome.Failure to comply can result in prosecution under modern legislation including the Public Health Act 1936, the Land Drainage Acts 1991 and 1994, and the Environment Agency Land Drainage Bylaws...

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