60/10 The second
round of a £5.5 million grant scheme to help households better
protect their homes against flooding was announced today by
Environment Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies.
The Property Level Flood Protection Grant Scheme is part of the
Government’s response to Sir Michael Pitt’s review of the 2007
floods. In this the second phase, £2.6 million will be allocated
to 34 schemes in areas at high risk of flooding, enabling 532
households to benefit from practical flood protection solutions
such as air bricks covers, storm porches, door guards and flood boards.
Mr Irranca-Davies said:
“In the future we must be prepared for more extreme weather on
all levels. There are 490,000 properties at significant risk of
(river/coastal) flooding in England. Since the floods of 2007 we
have been taking action on a range of fronts to protect against
the heart breaking damage and destruction that can be caused by
floods. Property level measures like flood boards aren’t
appropriate for every situation, but as was shown in Appleby at
the end of last year, they can be a very effective way for
householders to protect their homes.”
In the first round of funding, £3 million was made available to
25 local authorities to protect up to 593 properties across England.
Robert Runcie, Environment Agency Director of Flood and Coastal
Risk Management, said:
"We welcome the second round of funding for
Defra's property level flood protection grant scheme. We
urge all individuals and businesses at risk of flooding to make
their property more resistant by fitting products such as flood
gates, in addition to signing up to our free flood warning service”
Local authorities are responsible for delivering the scheme
locally and are able to tailor schemes to suit the needs of their
communities.
Notes to editors
1, Local authorities awarded round two grants are Huntingdonshire
District Council, North Warwickshire Borough Council, Malvern
Hills District Council, Newark & Sherwood District
Council, Herefordshire Council, Shropshire Council, Rotherham
Metropolitan Borough Council, East Riding Of Yorkshire,
Middlesborough Borough Council, Northumberland, Eden District
Council, Allerdale Borough Council. Carlisle County Council,
Warrington Borough Council, Cheshire East Council, West Devon
Borough Council, North Devon Council, Bath and North East Somerset
Council, Teignbridge District Council, Bournemouth Borough
Council, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Fareham Borough Council,
Waverley Borough Council, South Lakeside District Council, London
Borough of Sutton, Kirklees Metropolitan Council and Leeds City Council.
2. The Government’s response to the Pitt review can be found at
www.defra.gov.uk/environ/fcd/floods07.htm
3. Information on the draft Flood and Water Management Bill can
be found at www.defra.gov.uk/environ/fcd/floodsandwaterbill.htm.
4. The Environment Agency has overall strategic responsibility
for flood management and have recently opened a centre to test and
Kitemark flood products, which will help stimulate the market and
improve consumer choice.
Contacts:
Defra Press Office
Phone: 020 7238 6600
NDS.DEFRA@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Tom Briggs
Phone: 020 7238 6140
tom.briggs@defra.gsi.gov.uk