EA to review Somerset flooding response following ministerial visit
Sarah Dyke, the Liberal Democrat MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, welcomed flooding minister Emma Hardy MP to Langport on Tuesday (February 10)
The Environment Agency (EA) will formally review its response to Somerset flooding following a ministerial visit to the area.
Sarah Dyke, the Liberal Democrat MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, welcomed flooding minister Emma Hardy MP to Langport on Tuesday (February 10) to show the continuing impact of Storm Chandra and the persistent wet weather which has battered Somerset in recent weeks.
In a debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday evening (February 11), Ms Dyke praised the response of local agencies and volunteers to the crisis, but urged the government to provide further funding to prevent further major incidents.
Ms Hardy said that the EA had promised to review its flood response “trigger points”, including whether more permanent pumps could be installed at key locations.
Ms Dyke said: “Victims of repeated flooding describe living in a ‘permanent state of anxiety’, and this has been palpable when hearing from residents across my constituency over the last few weeks. There has been a feeling of déjà vu, and of ‘Here we go again’.
“Louise owns the GingerFred dance studio in Langport. She told me that she has been battling the flood-water that has been lapping up against at her dance studio door for the past two weeks.”, said the MP.
“Despite questioning whether she might have to move her studio, which she has been running for 14 years now – that has been some hard graft – she is absolutely determined to fight on.”
Ms Dyke welcomed flooding minister Emma Hardy MP to Langport the day before the debate, giving her a tour of Langport and the neighbouring villages of Drayton and Thorney.
The visit included a conversation with local farmer Mike Curtis, who took both MPs on his tractor for a tour of his land, much of which remains severely flooded.
Ms Dyke continued: “Communities who regularly suffer flooding are resilient, but they deserve action and investment. Flood resilience in Somerset cannot be achieved on a shoestring budget and people deserve better.”
Taunton and Wellington MP Gideon Amos (whose constituency has also experienced severe flooding) said that local residents felt they did not always have the complete picture from the Environment Agency (EA), especially when it came to pumping water off the Levels.
He said: “One of the key messages I hear most strongly from residents in Stathe and Burrowbridge – some of whom have water lapping up against their houses right now – is that they need better communication.
“They want to have the maximum information about what is happening with the Levels – when pumping will or will not start – as well as about the long-term plan that is needed after this flooding event to reduce flooding.”
Ms Dyke concurred: “The minister and I talked about the trigger points with the EA yesterday February 10, which it has committed to looking at.
“I also agree that communication with local authorities and a collaborative, joined-up approach should be better.
“I also feel that communities should have better real-time information on flooding.
“There is a really good example of that in the River Cam catchment, where flood monitors have been put on bridges and an app tracks the flow of water so that communities within the catchment are aware of any significant increase in the water levels.
“I hope that that can be rolled out so that our communities can be better protected and can better protect themselves in these instances of terrific rainfall.”
Ms Dyke called on the government to invest further in Somerset’s flood defences to prevent further damage from future storms.
She said: “Every £1 spent by the government prevents £5 in damage, and means £2 in direct savings to the Exchequer, yet national flooding budgets have been cut in real terms.
“It is crucial that the government invest in cost-effective strategies relating to flood preparedness, prevention, traditional flood defences and nature-based solutions, so that communities like those in Somerset are not left to fend for themselves.
“Communities that are deemed to be at flood risk have long felt abandoned by the government and their agencies; the EA’s recent decision to withdraw from main river maintenance owing to funding shortfalls is a clear example of this.”
Ms Hardy acknowledged that Somerset had been in “a cycle of anxiety, disruption and uncertainty that has tested both infrastructure and resilience” and praised the local response to the recent storms.
She said: “My deepest sympathies go out to every individual, family and business affected by this flooding.
“For some, it is the first time they have faced this disruption, but for many of us, it is heartbreakingly familiar.
“I want those affected to know that we are committed to supporting them, not only in the immediate aftermath, but in the months and years ahead.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to the first responders, EA staff, emergency services, local authorities and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to keep people safe. Their dedication, often in the most challenging and dangerous conditions, has been extraordinary.”
Ms Hardy (who represents the Kingston-upon-Hull West and Haltemprice constituency, in the East Riding of Yorkshire) said her visit to Somerset had been “invaluable” and promised that the EA would review its response to the major incident in due course.
She said: “I am pleased to say, following my visit, that the EA has committed to reviewing the issues around water level management in Somerset once this incident has come to an end.
“It will work closely with the internal drainage boards and Somerset Council as part of the wider recovery plan.
“The review will consider several important questions: when pumps should be activated, whether the current trigger points are right, and whether installing permanent pumps in certain locations could offer better value for money in the long term.”
The government has committed to investing at least £10.5bn by 2036 on new flood and coastal defence schemes and repairs to existing defences, along with £300m on natural flood management (such as leaky dams or planting thousands of the trees to ‘slow the flow’ of surface water off land).
Ms Hardy added: “The EA needs to prioritise its funding rigorously, and focus on those areas and activities that deliver the greatest overall benefits for people and property, including reducing flood risk and ensuring value for money.
“It is spending significant resources every year on pumping and managing the Somerset Levels.
“Its work is essential to maintaining the delicate balance of water across the landscape, supporting agriculture, protecting homes and preserving the unique ecology of the area.
“Flooding affects mental health, financial stability and community cohesion. It can take months or even years for people to fully recover.
“That is why our response must be compassionate, comprehensive and long-term.”