Drainage firm adds third trenching machine to fleet

EAST Anglian land drainage firm William Morfoot has added a third trenching machine to the company’s fleet.

The £250,000 machine, made specifically for the company, will enable the business to offer maximum flexibility for clients and help to support the company’s expanding client portfolio.

The purchase of the new machine comes at the time of year when the Norfolk-based company experiences a big increase in land drainage work as farmers take advantage of the post-harvest window.

Managing director Tim Sisson said: “September is a busy time of year for the land drainage industry as the fields are clear following harvest and the weather and ground conditions are sympathetic, enabling us to travel across the land with relative ease.”

With land prices at record levels, the option to carry out land drainage only increased land values further, said Mr Sisson. It also improved yield potential and increased the window in which land could be worked on year on year.

The trenching machine, which can install drainage pipes across 6ha (15 acres) a day, comes fitted with a sophisticated extra in the form of the sink control aid system which ensures land drains are laid at perfect gradients.

Mr Sisson said: “The arrival of the new trenching machine here at William Morfoot will continue to ensure we meet the needs of the region’s farmers at timescales which are relevant to them.

We appreciate that while harvest is a key time of year, farmers and landowners will need to address the issue of land drainage and associated ancillary works such as ditching, at their own specific times in the calendar.”

The new machine, manufactured by Mastenbroek in Lincolnshire, is one of only three machines made bespoke for clients in the UK this year. It is currently being used on a contract to drain 24ha (60 acres) of land.