Diddington Brook
| Diddington Brook | |
|---|---|
 Bridge on Diddington Brook | |
| Location | |
| Constituent Country | England |
| Continent | Europe |
| County | Cambridgeshire |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Grafham Water |
| Mouth | River Great Ouse |
• location | Offord Cluny |
| Length | 5.577 km (3.465 mi) |
Diddington Brook is a river and it has a length 5.577 km (3.465 mi) with a catchment area of 32.172 km2 (12.422 sq mi). Its source is at Grafham Water which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Course
Diddington Brook starts at its source at Grafham Water which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI),[1] flowing through the motorways of the B661 and then the A1,[2] it meanders between Diddington and Stirtloe before joining the River Great Ouse near Offord Cluny.[2] It has a total length of 5.577 km (3.465 mi) and a catchment area of 32.172 km2 (12.422 sq mi).[2] Diddington Brook and Grafham Water are two out of the twenty bodies of the Great Ouse Lower Operational Catchment.[3]
History
A map published in the 1880s included a footbridge near Stirtloe and a farm near the brook’s mouth.[4] The source of Diddington Brook is Grafham Water.[2] It was created in the 1960s and supplied drinking water to the to the town of Milton Keynes.[1] Grafham Water was formerly Diddington Reservoir - which was named after the brook.[1] In 1986, Natural England designated the site as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).[1]
Water quality
The Environment Agency measures the water quality of the river systems in England. Each is given an overall ecological status, which may be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at the quantity and varieties of invertebrates, angiosperms and fish.[5]
The water quality of the Diddington Brook system in 2019, was as follows, is listed below.
| Water Body | Water Body Type | Hydromorphological designation | Length | Ecological status | Catchment Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diddington Brook[2] | River | Heavily modified | 5.577 km (3.465 mi) | Good | 32.172 km2 (12.422 sq mi) |
The water quality of the Grafham Water system in 2022 was as follows.
| Water Body | Ecological Status | Water body type | Altitude | Surface area | Mean depth | Catchment area | Hydromorphological designation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grafham Water[6] | Poor | Lake | 45 m (148 ft) | 6.316 km2 (2.439 sq mi) | 9.65 m (31.7 ft) | 1591.5 ha | Heavily modified |
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Grafham Water Leaflet" (PDF). www.wildlifebcn.org. Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. p. 1.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Diddington Brook | Catchment Data Explorer | Catchment Data Explorer". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- ↑ "Great Ouse Lower Operational Catchment | Catchment Data Explorer". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- ↑ "View map: Ordnance Survey, Huntingdonshire XXI.SE (includes: Buckden; Diddington; Southoe and Midloe.) - Ordnance Survey Six-inch England and Wales, 1842-1952". maps.nls.uk. National Library of Scotland (NLS; Leabharlann Nàiseanta na h-Alba; Naitional Leebrar o Scotland. Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- ↑ "Glossary (see Biological quality element and Ecological status)". Catchment Data Explorer. Environment Agency. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
- ↑ "Grafham Water | Catchment Data Explorer | Catchment Data Explorer". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 2026-08-02.