Mar 12, 2021 Residents are being reminded they must seek approval before carrying out any work involving streams, brooks and culverts on their land. Subscribe to our daily newsletter! Sign Up It follows a legal case in which a Chaddesley Corbett resident was fined £500 after being prosecuted for covering over an open stream and installing a culvert on his land in Cakebole Lane without permission. Consent is required for any works that affect the flow of an ordinary watercourse, such as the installation of culverts, weirs or certain bridges, under Section 23 of the Land Drainage Act 1991. In this recent case, landowner Richard Yardley had covered over a section of Elmley Brook and installed a culvert, increasing the risk of flooding and potentially damaging the ecology and biodiversity of the area.