Government pledges £62m of flood defence funding

Communities across England are set to benefit from a new round of flood defence investment announced by the government.

13 projects across England will share over £62m to bolster existing flood defences and boost economic regeneration.

Many of the communities chosen for funding, such as Kendal in Cumbria and Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, are in areas that suffered from heavy flooding in winter 2015.

The government said that the funding will allow over 9,000 homes to be better protected from the risk of flooding.

Environment secretary Theresa Villiers said: ‘I am delighted to announce over £60m of additional funding to better protect communities which are vulnerable to flooding, particularly across parts of northern England.

‘Events this summer have shown that investing in flood risk management is more important than ever, and this funding builds on our long-standing £2.6 billion commitment to better protect 300,000 homes from flooding and coastal erosion over six years.’

11 of the 13 projects to be developed are in the North of England, including seven in Yorkshire, four in Cumbria and Lancashire and two in the North East.

£19m will go towards developing projects in Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge and Brighouse, while Cumbria and Lancashire will receive £22.8m to support four flood projects in Kendal, Egremont, Flimby and Preston and South Ribble.

Preston and South Ribble is the biggest beneficiary, winning £15.8m of funding to protect 3,600 homes and 300 businesses from flooding, whereas the first phase of the proposed three-phase scheme in Kendal will protect 1,480 homes and 1,151 businesses from flooding.

The River Roding project at Shonks Mill in Essex has been allocated £5.1 to better protect 550 homes around Woodford, and the Lincoln Defences project in Lincolnshire will get £1.1m towards reducing flood risk for 1,842 homes and 424 businesses.

Emma Howard Boyd, chair of the Environment Agency, said: ‘This extra funding will help us to go even further in our mission to better protect communities up and down the country from the terrible effects of flooding.’

‘We will work closely with these communities to design and build projects which not only reduce flood risk but which also benefit wildlife and the local economy for decades to come.’

The Environment Agency has constructed over 500 new flood and coastal erosion schemes since 2015 to better protect homes and businesses as the risk of flooding increases in the UK.

A recent study found that flood events are becoming increasingly severe in north-western Europe due to climate change.

The government is set to further lay out its policies to better prepare the country for floods and coastal erosion in a statement later this year.