Low-lying farmland near the rivers Crouch and Roach could be abandoned as the Environ-ment Agency develops a strategy for cutting sea wall maintenance.
The land bordering the two rivers could be the first of thousands of acres of farmland along the East Anglian coast to lose their sea defences in the next five to ten years.
The Environment Agency said the money saved on repairing sea defences would be focused on priority areas including people's homes, roads and internationally-important nature reserves.
Landowners will have the option of doing the work themselves but may find the cost of protecting low-value land too much.
Stephen Worrall, a member of the Environment Agency's national flood risk policy team, said: "There will be more consultation with landowners and other interested parties in October."
Published Friday August 27, 2004
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