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

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.

-snip-