Quarry Floods Again

Not flood protection, but flood risk

Last winter, residents were told that the quarry helped manage flooding, with claims made that it was “lucky the quarry was there” because it took much of the water. The latest footage directly contradicts that narrative.

An open clay pit is not flood defence. When it fills, it spills. The repeated overflow of the existing quarry demonstrates that it cannot reliably contain water during sustained rainfall, raising serious concerns about how it is managed and whether it is fit for purpose under current climate conditions.

With climate change driving wetter winters and more prolonged rainfall events, infrastructure that cannot cope today is unlikely to cope tomorrow.

Polluted water cannot simply be released

The water visible in the footage is not clean floodwater. It is heavily turbid, containing fine clay silt held in suspension. Water of this nature cannot be safely released into the River Teign without extensive settlement and controlled discharge.

Sediment pollution is harmful to rivers. It degrades water quality, smothers fish spawning beds, disrupts aquatic invertebrates, and damages fragile ecosystems. Any uncontrolled release of clay-laden water into the Teign would pose a serious ecological risk.

This makes the question of containment even more critical. If the pit repeatedly fills with polluted water, how is it supposed to be emptied safely, and where is that water meant to go?

A year of pumping, undone in weeks

After flooding in winter 2024/2025, the quarry was reportedly pumped out over much of the following year. Despite those efforts, the pit has once again filled during this winter’s rainfall.

That raises a basic and unavoidable question. How is this quarry ever supposed to be kept operational if it refills every winter? Continuous pumping is not a sustainable long-term solution, environmentally, financially, or in terms of flood risk.

If water management relies on constant intervention simply to stand still, the system itself is failing.

Two worlds divided by one river

The drone footage also captures a stark contrast across the River Teign.

On one side lies a protected nature reserve, with clean water lakes, wildlife, and restored habitats, an area now threatened by quarry expansion plans. On the opposite bank sits a flooded industrial quarry, dominated by muddy clay water and exposed workings.

This contrast matters. It shows what is at stake. The River Teign is not just a boundary between landscapes, it is a living system that connects them. What happens on one side inevitably affects the other.

Public infrastructure and public impact

Beyond environmental concerns, the repeated overflow has real consequences for people. The public footpath linking Newton Abbot and Teigngrace has once again been rendered unusable. This is a valued local route for walkers and residents, and its repeated closure is a direct result of quarry flooding.

Serious questions now need answers

If the existing quarry cannot cope with current winter rainfall, it is reasonable to question how any further expansion could meet the legal requirement not to increase flood risk over the 50-year lifetime of the project.

Before any expansion is considered, the performance of the existing site must be properly examined.

We have now formally written to Devon County Council and the Environment Agency requesting an urgent review of water containment, regulatory compliance, pollution risk, and flood management at the site. Drone footage and location data have been made available to support that request.