CWT3: Manage ditches of high environmental value
Source: gov.uk (2025-09-10)

What you must do to get paid for this CSHT action and advice on how to do it.

This action is part of Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT). You must read the CSHT guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/countryside-stewardship-higher-tier-csht) before you apply.

Duration

5 years

How much you’ll be paid

£38 per 100 metres (m) per year for managing both sides of the ditch

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is to manage ditches that either:
- support target species of plants, birds, mammals and invertebrates
- are important for delivering habitats such as wet grassland, wetland, lowland peat and floodplain meadow
The purpose is to improve the biodiversity of the ditch and provide wet conditions for the adjacent land parcels.

Where you can do this action

You can do this action where you have control of both sides of a ditch.

Where control is limited to one side of a ditch, you can still do this action if you’re able to achieve the aims.

You must get approval from your Natural England adviser to do this action.

You cannot do this action on ditches managed by third parties such as Internal Drainage Boards.

Eligible land

You can do this action on land that’s:
- an eligible land type
- registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
- declared with a land use code (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/land-use-codes-rural-payments) which is compatible with the eligible land cover
Available area you can enter into this action

Not applicable, as this is a linear action – you can choose what length of eligible ditches to enter into this action.

Rotational or static action

This action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.

What to do

Your Natural England adviser will assess your land. They’ll work with you to adapt and agree the activities you must do to achieve this action’s aim. All mandatory activities will be set out in your agreement document.

To get paid for this action, you must:
- manage ditch lengths rotationally by methods agreed with your adviser, normally between September and March to avoid disturbing wildlife
- leave one side of the ditch (or sections of the ditch) unmanaged during any one operation as a refuge for species to recolonise the ditch
- spread silt and vegetation cuttings thinly in the adjacent field – do not fill hollows or low areas in the field or spread on historic or archaeological features
- allow bankside vegetation to naturally regenerate after ditch management – you can top bankside vegetation to control injurious weeds and re-establish the sward
- maintain ditch water levels to a suitable depth for the ditch and adjacent habitats
The advice you’re given from Natural England is specific to your land which means (where relevant) you may also need to:
- cut above the base of the ditch leaving the roots in the base where vegetation in the ditch is removed by cutting
- retain a fringe of emergent vegetation on one or both sides of the ditch
- cut vegetation at the top of the ditch bank, leaving uncut sections as wildlife habitat
- manage the cuttings so they do not damage the ditch habitat
- trim hedges beside the ditch
- control invasive non-native species
You must not:
- re-profile or increase the width or depth of the ditch (unless agreed with your adviser)
- allow vegetation to overhang more than half the width of the channel, along the majority of the ditch length (unless the ditch runs alongside woodland)
- use permanent fencing next to ditches (unless agreed with your adviser)
- manage all ditches in any one year (unless agreed with your adviser)
When to do it

You must do this action each year of its duration.

Evidence to keep

You must keep evidence to show what you have done to complete this action. If it’s not clear that you have done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) may ask for this evidence.

You must supply the evidence if they ask for it, including:
- field operations at a parcel level
- associated invoices
- photographs relevant to the action
Consents, permissions and licensing requirements

To apply for this action, you’ll need:
- Scheduled Monument Consent (https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/planning/consents/smc/) from Historic England for any work on scheduled monuments
consent from Natural England for any activity on land designated as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protected-areas-sites-of-special-scientific-interest#get-consent-to-carry-out-operations-on-your-land)
- to obtain necessary consents from the Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) or Internal Drainage Board (IDB) before starting any work
You may need to:
- get advice from your Natural England adviser if you have other archaeological or historic features on your agreement land
- get a wildlife licence (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wildlife-licences) from Natural England if your management affects a protected species or their habitat
All archaeological and historic features (including scheduled monuments) are identified in your Historic Environment Farm Environment Record (HEFER).

If you’re a tenant, it’s your responsibility to check whether your tenancy agreement allows you to complete what’s required in the actions you choose. You may need your landlord’s consent.

Capital grants to support this action

You can also apply for capital items (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/capital-items-guidance-for-applicants-and-agreement-holders) to help you achieve the action’s aims. Your Natural England adviser will discuss eligible capital items with you.

Advice to help you do this action

The following optional advice may help you to do this action. Your agreement document will set out all the activities you must do.

Choosing a site

Manage ditches of high environmental value where at least one of the following apply:
- they contain more than 10 native water plants per 20 metre stretch – this includes plants that are submerged, floating or emergent (plants that are rooted in the ditch but grow out of the water, such as rushes and sedges)
- they contain species of high conservation interest (such as water voles)
- they provide high water levels and wet conditions on land being managed in relevant habitat actions (such as wet grassland and wetlands)
You can use this action on ditches:

surrounding fields that are in a relevant habitat action

that bring water on or off the site.

Managing ditches

Manage the ditches in a way that’s appropriate to their scale, number and local area. Methods of ditch management vary across the country. Maintain a variety of successional stages within the ditch network. These may range from open water to well-developed aquatic plant communities.

Draw up an implementation plan specific to the site if the work proposed is particularly complex. You can get funding for this through a capital item plan PA1: Implementation plan (https://www.gov.uk/countryside-stewardship-grants/implementation-plan-pa1) or PA2: Feasibility study (https://www.gov.uk/countryside-stewardship-grants/feasibility-study-pa2).

To help benefit wildlife (including the water vole), you can:
- cut vegetation at the top of the ditch bank (where needed) with cutters set high, so you leave vegetation that’s around 10 centimetres (cm) to 15cm high
- carry out bankside cutting (where needed) during late summer or early autumn
- carry out in-channel management using appropriate machinery and without affecting the banks
- work from one bank only and leave short stretches undisturbed and progress upstream – working upstream means dislodged pieces of plant and invertebrates can float downstream to live in the ditch again
- leave gaps of 10m to 20m as untouched refuges and leave at least one third of the overall ditch area untouched
Carrying out in-channel management

If you carry out in-channel management on the ditch, you can deposit the silt and vegetation (known as ‘spoil’) thinly on the field adjacent to the ditch. When you do this, try to avoid:
- spreading the spoil on areas that are rich in wildflowers
- spreading the spoil on the ditch’s bank face
- creating spoil banks in wet grassland and wetland areas, as they stop water movement on and off the field.
Before depositing spoil, read the guidance on D1 waste exemption: depositing waste from dredging inland waters.

Controlling invasive, non-native species in your ditch

Invasive, non-native species (such as Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed) can shade out or out-complete native plants.

You may need to:
- monitor and control invasive, non-native plant species to stop them spreading
- get advice if your ditch contains invasive water plants like Crassula helmsii (New Zealand pigmyweed) or floating pennywort
- dispose of ditch spoil that contains invasive, non-native species safely (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prevent-the-spread-of-harmful-invasive-and-non-native-plants) (instead of spreading it on the adjacent field)
You’ll need to get agreement from the Environment Agency to use herbicides in or near water. Products must be approved for aquatic use.

Maintain water quality

Maintain good water quality in your ditches to protect the insects and plants that live there. Follow the farming rules for water (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rules-for-farmers-and-land-managers-to-prevent-water-pollution) – you’ll need to take steps to stop manure, fertiliser or soil getting into water bodies.

Livestock grazing

Livestock grazing of the ditch edges is important to provide an open ditch habitat. Light grazing and trampling of ditch banks can benefit some species of wildlife.

You may need to:
- keep ditches unfenced – if permanent fencing is needed erect it in the ditch channel to allow livestock to graze the ditch edge
- manage livestock numbers and the timing of grazing to prevent soil erosion and run-off into the ditches
- manage livestock so they do not over-graze or poach the banks
Aim to control weeds on the ditch banks by cutting or hand pulling. If you do need to use herbicides, seek advice from a BASIS qualified person and always follow the label recommendations. You’ll need to get agreement from the Environment Agency to use herbicides near water.

Restoring ditches

You may be able to restore ditches covered by this action with funding from the ditch restoration capital item. However, you will need to agree this with Natural England first.

Responding to climate change

Read Natural England’s publication: ‘Adaptation for habitats in Environmental Land Management Schemes’ (https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/file/5673659512127488) to help you consider your general response to climate change. You must continue to follow the mandatory activities for this CSHT action.