 Although the Bedford Level Corporation was responsible for the main rivers in the region, they did not have control of the smaller tributaries.Landowners could and did build windmills to act as drainage engines, but there was no overall policy, with the result that there were legal disputes, with one landowner complaining that a neighbour's drainage mill resulted in flooding of surrounding properties.Against this background, a private Act of Parliament was obtained in 1759, which created two drainage districts.