Our river is in trouble.
If we don't fix it, so are we.
In October 2023, Storm Babet flooded 89 homes in Debenham alone and many more throughout the catchment area. The science says it will happen again and more often. We know what needs to happen to protect our communities and restore our river. The Upper Deben Owners Group exists to make sure it does.
89
homes damaged in Storm Babet, 2023
200+
homes currently at flood risk
£1.4bn
available nationally for flood mitigation
1000+
years communties have lived in the upper Deben
Why We Exist
Villages in the area have survived a lot. Flooding on this scale is new.
Debenham is recorded in the Domesday Book. It has weathered centuries of
change. But the combination of more intense storms and changed agricultural practices upstream is creating a new kind of flood risk — one that no single landowner, farmer or householder can solve alone.
UDOG brings together everyone with a stake in the upper Deben — homeowners, riparian landowners, small businesses, farmers — to act together, at the scale the problem demands.
“The numbers do not tell the stories of the relocation trauma, insurance battles
and treasures lost.”
— UDOG founding statement, 2026
Slow the flow
Natural flood management at scale upstream that restore nature and hold water back before it
reaches village communities.
Be the voice
Representing homeowners and businesses to the Environment Agency and other
statutory bodies who make the decisions.
Access funding
Connecting the catchment to £1.4bn of national flood mitigation funding that is
available but hard to access.
Follow the science
All decisions guided by an independent advisory panel of river, ecology and land
management experts.
Come and find out more. Thursday 5th June, 7pm - 8.30pm.
Debenham Leisure Centre. Short presentations, expert panel and a chance to have your say. Free to attend — all welcome.