Norfolk's 'sitting on a time-bomb' if more's not done on flooding- local MP
Over 10 per cent of the three thousand flood defences in Norfolk- overseen by the environment agency- are deteriorating
A Norfolk MP tells us the county's 'sitting on a time-bomb' if more's not done to tackle local flooding issues.
It comes as official figures show that nearly a third of critical flood defences in the Broads are failing.
Over 10 per cent of the three thousand flood defences in Norfolk- overseen by the environment agency- are also deteriorating.
But West Norfolk has the largest number of high-consequence defences judged below standard, with 115 out of 1096 at risk – about 10 per-cent.
In Breckland, 13 per cent of the 16 high consequence defences are below the required condition and in North Norfolk, 11 per cent of the 249 barriers are below standard.
In Great Yarmouth, that figure stands at 5 per cent of the 553 high consequence defences.
6 per cent of the 81 defences in Norwich are below par, but just 2 per cent of the 64 defences in South Norfolk are in disrepair.
"We cannot have developers building large-scale developments on flood plains"
George Freeman represents Mid Norfolk in Parliament:
"The Met Office and the Environment Agency have got tonnes of data, but they are not using it all properly to predict which villages in Norfolk are going to flood and when.
"Many of the villages in my constituency have got better data than the national agencies, so we need some proper mapping and data together so we can get a grip on the problem.
"We cannot have developers building large-scale developments on flood plains, nor them building large-scale commuter sites without serious upgrades to drainage and sewage infrastructure".
"These big developers are going to have to put some more money into helping avoid down-stream flooding.
"I think the way to do all of this isn't just to put them into the planning permission, as this can often be ignored.
"Instead it's to hold them financially liable for flooding that occurs after they've built large-scale developments",
"If the performance of an asset is reduced, then immediate action is taken"
An Environment Agency spokesman said: “Protecting communities in England from the devastating impact of flooding is a top priority – which is more important than ever as climate change brings more extreme weather.
“Each year, we complete up to 165,000 inspections of flood assets across the country and have recently redirected £108 million into repairs and maintenance. This will help to ensure the strongest protection for nearby communities.
“If the performance of an asset is reduced, then immediate action is taken to ensure that flood risk continues to be effectively managed until the asset is fully repaired or replaced.”