£2 million for community flood protection

Hundreds of homes around the UK will benefit from government funding for flood protection over the next 12 months.

The Environment Agency announced yesterday that it has allocated almost £2.35 million of grants to local authorities to install flood protection for individual households.

The money will be spent on products such as flood barriers for doors and airbrick covers that help to minimise the damage caused by flooding.

The agency estimates that 600 properties from 30 communities all over the UK will benefit from the funding including the towns of Lostwithiel and Mevagissey in Cornwall, both of which suffered severe flooding in November 2010 resulting in millions of pounds worth of damage and the evacuation of more than 100 homes.

“Flood protection isn’t only about building and maintaining defences – it’s also about being prepared to deal with floods when they happen. Property level protection can be incredibly successful in communities that suffer low-level flooding, and these grants will ensure more homes and possessions can be protected,” said environment minister Richard Benyon.

The chief executive of the Environment Agency, Dr Paul Leinster said: "The agency has completed 225 new defences since the summer of 2007, increasing protection to over 198,000 properties. However, one in six homes in England is at risk of flooding, so we are continuing to work with partners to protect as many as possible. These grants will enable more people in more communities to protect their homes and possessions.”

A full list of the Local Authorities that received funding can be found at the Environment Agency website