New Delhi: Following further flooding across the country, particularly in the Midlands, the UK Floods Minister met with the Environment Agency Chief Executive to discuss the response to recent flooding events and the ongoing situation.
In the meeting, Minister Emma Hardy was updated on the situation on the ground and the response from the Environment Agency and emergency services. With Philip Duffy, she also discussed further action to protect communities over the next few days, with minor flooding still possible in some parts of the country, a government release stated.
The government invested £2.4 billion over the next two years to bolster the nation’s resilience to flooding and coastal erosion, the release announced. This comes after heavy rainfall over the New Year caused significant river and surface water flooding across the North West of England and Yorkshire, and further disruption in parts of England, particularly in the Midlands, due to a mixture of snowmelt and saturated catchments.
Since New Year’s Eve, over 41,000 properties have been protected, but at least 300 have flooded, with further flooding under investigation, claims estimates by the Environment Agency estimates.
Floods Minister Emma Hardy expressed sympathies to the “people, businesses and communities impacted” by the floods and she thanked the Environment Agency and emergency services for their work. She also urged people to follow guidelines and sign up for flood warnings.