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| Builder fined for opening sluice gate on flooded Somerset Levels | Builder fined for opening sluice gate on flooded Somerset Levels |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A builder who tampered with sluice gates during last winter's floods on the Somerset Levels has been fined £1,000. | A builder who tampered with sluice gates during last winter's floods on the Somerset Levels has been fined £1,000. |
| Lee Goddard, 40, from Hambridge, pleaded guilty to opening Slabgate sluice between 20 and 23 December. | |
| Taunton Magistrates' Court heard his actions caused an estimated 45,000 cubic metres of water to head towards the village of Thorney. | Taunton Magistrates' Court heard his actions caused an estimated 45,000 cubic metres of water to head towards the village of Thorney. |
| Goddard claimed he had wanted to divert flood water away from his property. | |
| Prosecutors said the effect of Goddard's actions had caused the water levels in Thorney to rise. | |
| However, they said it could not be known whether this had then directly caused damage to properties in the village. | |
| The prosecution was brought by the Parrett Internal Drainage Board. | The prosecution was brought by the Parrett Internal Drainage Board. |
| Large parts of the Somerset Levels were battered by storms during the 2013-14 winter months with hundreds of people evacuated from their homes. |