Dam fine job: Tube flooding problem solved by beavers

An unexpected group of engineers has solved a decades-old flooding issue affecting northwest London residents’ homes, streets, and the local Tube station.

- HARRIETTE BOUCHER

The reintroduction of beavers in Paradise Fields, Ealing, has prevented flooding for the first time in years, with the area having experienced problems since the 1970s. It’s an issue that the council had tried - and failed - to solve with large-scale and expensive interventions, but less than a year after five beavers were introduced to the site in October 2023, the “ecosystem engineers” had manufactured the complex wetlands and built a network of at least five dams.

Urban beaver officer Seniz Mustafa said the dams had slowed the flow of water downstream and turned the park into a natural sponge capable of storing large volumes of water. She said people in the community were “so happy” with their arrival, which had drawn thousands to the site.

“The community of Greenford was greatly affected by [flooding], and 2024 was the first year the local area didn’t flood. It’s not just people trying to get to the Tube, but it’s people in their houses, going to work, going to school, trying to drive their car, so it’s had such a direct impact,” Ms Mustafa told The Independent.

There are now at least eight beavers living in the park, but Ms Mustafa suspects that Willow, the mother beaver, has had more kits.