Environment Agency: England needs £1bn a year for flood protection

In its Flooding in England report, the organisation has revealed that over 430,000 people in flood risk areas have now signed up to its flood warnings service and is urging those who are not yet subscribed to join. The free service provides vital early warning by SMS, telephone or email, helping to save the lives of those at risk of flooding.

Also publishing a Long Term Investment Strategy for England, the government’s environmental watchdog says that a steady increase in investment will be vital to maintain current levels of protection against rising seas levels, more rapid rates of coastal erosion, and increasingly severe and frequent rainstorms due to climate change. The funding recommendations are based on the latest climate change impact predictions, released yesterda.

The Environment Agency estimates that the annual cost of damage to residential and commercial property from flooding in England, as well as the cost of further disruption, damage to infrastructure and loss of business, could rise from £2.5bn to £4bn by 2035 unless funding for defences is increased.

The Agency has calculated that the damage avoided through its investment proposals could save England £180bn over the next 100 years but accepts that it may be necessary to look at other sources of funding alongside that of central government.

Over the past 10 years, more than 250,000 additional households have benefited from investment in new or improved defences. The organisation has completed 90 flood defence schemes since summer 2007, providing increased protection to over 58,000 properties.

New figures also released today by the Environment Agency show that:

Environment Agency chairman Lord Chris Smith said: “Our 25 year flood and coastal risk Long Term Investment Strategy for England presents some important choices for government, local authorities, developers and others to consider.

“The latest UK climate change data shows that the risk of flooding and coastal erosion will continue to increase in future due to rising sea levels and more frequent and heavy storms, and there are important decisions for us all to take about how to manage these risks to protect people, communities, businesses and the economy in future.

“The Environment Agency has completed 90 flood defence schemes since summer 2007, providing increased protection to over 58,000 properties. Whilst continued investment in managing these risks is crucial, we cannot always prevent flooding so communities need to take responsibility for being prepared - for example by signing up to the Environment Agency’s free flood warning service.”