Environment Secretary in flood defences vow as Met Office warns of wet winter

The Environment Secretary said the emergency response to flooding is being bolstered as the Met Office warned of a wetter-than-average winter.

The autumn months are expected to be wetter than usual, and many areas – particularly the west of England – have already seen 100% of their average September rainfall, the Met Office said.

A total of 5.5 million properties in England are at risk from flooding and the country has just experienced the wettest 18 months on record, to February 2024, following extreme weather including Storms Babet and Ciaran, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.

The taskforce brought together Environment Secretary Steve Reed, floods minister Emma Hardy, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Home Office, Cabinet Office, the Environment Agency, the Met Office, local resilience forums, mayoral offices, emergency responders and the National Farmers Union.

Mr Reed said: “Flooding devastates communities and businesses across the country. For far too long the delivery of flood schemes has been too slow and left communities underwater.

“That is why the new Government is acting now to speed up the building of flood defences and bolster our emergency response.”

“As chair of the Floods Resilience Taskforce, I will work closely with our partners to ensure projects remain on track and not only protect homes but create more green jobs and drive investment in our towns.”

Environment Agency teams have been prioritising the construction, maintenance and repair of key flood defences – including the Cockett Wick seawall in Essex, which will ensure 3,000 homes and businesses are protected better after a £12 million investment, Defra said.

Caroline Douglass, executive director for flood and coastal risk management at the Environment Agency, said: “Protecting people and communities is our top priority, which will only become more pressing as climate change brings more extreme weather and rising sea levels.

Pumps have been deployed at 10 strategic depots in vulnerable regions around the country to ensure they can be rolled out rapidly as and when required.

And the Environment Agency said it has conducted 170,000 checks on assets in the past year – up from 100,000 in an average year. It has also increased its spend on asset maintenance and repair to £236 million, up from £200 million.

The taskforce’s next steps will include: Continuing to monitor areas showing sensitivity to rainfall and how they recover ahead of the winter flood season; identifying how government, emergency services and local resilience forums can better share lessons learnt from recent flooding events, with the introduction of best practice guidance to be considered; and assessing how public awareness of the role and benefits of flood warnings can be improved.

The next meeting of the taskforce will take place in early 2025 and will discuss longer-term oversight of wider flood resilience strategy and investment, as well as any learnings on the response to major flooding.