Drainage charges for occupiers of land (Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and East Anglia)

Who the charge applies to

The general drainage charge only applies to the Environment Agency’s Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire and East Anglia areas.

The charge applies to occupiers of:

• agricultural land and buildings which fall outside the boundary of an internal drainage board
• areas participating in a Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) scheme, such as ‘set aside’ land
• commercial woodlands
• woodlands planted under a Defra or Forestry Commission scheme

How to pay

The Environment Agency will send you an annual invoice around 1 April each year for the period 1 April to 31 March.

If you are the occupier of the land on 1 April you will pay the full amount for that year ahead.

If you have land that falls outside our chargeable area, it will not be liable for the charge.

Charges for 2026 to 2027

The money raised from the charge contributes towards the cost of maintaining and improving:

• main rivers
• sea defences
• tidal embankments that protect low lying areas
• maintaining structures such as barriers, sluice gates and pumping stations

Work carried out can include:

• dredging to remove silt
• weed clearance

Payment does not guarantee direct benefits to those who are required to pay, or that work will be carried out on their land. 

Exemptions to the charge 

Occupiers of land in the area do not need to pay the charge if the land is: 

• agricultural land that falls within the boundary of an internal drainage board 
• used as pasture ground, where the vegetation is only, or mainly, bracken, gorse, heather, rushes or sedge 
• only or mainly grass of poor feeding value, and is unsuitable for mowing by machine 
• woodland that’s not managed to make profit

Report a change of occupier

If the occupier of the land changes, the Environment Agency needs to know the new occupier’s details. When you report the change, you’ll also need to give:

• your Environment Agency account number
• the size of the field 
• the date that the occupier changed  

Start now

If you’ve paid for a full year and someone new takes over the land, you and the new occupier should agree between yourselves how much of the cost they repay you. The Environment Agency cannot help with this.

Get help

If you have any questions about your charges or your invoice, or you need help completing the change of occupier form, contact the Environment Agency.

When contacting us:

• have your customer or invoice number available
• we may request a map or field listing to help with your enquiry

Find out how the Environment Agency treats your personal information in the personal information charter.