Burnt Fen | |
---|---|
The Engine Drain where it meets the River Lark at Lark Engine House | |
Location within Cambridgeshire | |
OS grid reference | TL605875 |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | BURY ST. EDMUNDS |
Postcode district | IP28 |
Burnt Fen is an area of low-lying land crossed by the A1101 road between Littleport in Cambridgeshire and Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. It is surrounded on three sides by rivers, and consists of prime agricultural land, with sparse settlement. It is dependent on pumped drainage to prevent it from flooding.
Between 1759 and 1962 the area was managed by the Commissioners of the Burnt Fen First Drainage District, who were then replaced by the Burnt Fen Internal Drainage Board, when the area of responsibility was expanded. Funding for the drainage works is collected by a system of rates, paid by those whose property would be threatened by flooding without the works.