Funding boost for flood defences

The Environment Agency has announced funding for flood defences across the country

The Environment Agency (EA) has announced investment in flood defences in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

The funding is part of a nationwide government project which will see £2.65bn spent on new flood schemes and the repair and maintenance of existing ones over two years.

More than £11.6m will fund Boston's barrage-barrier works, with nearly £2.5m for Winestead Drain and £2.2m for Derringham Aquagreens.

Floods Minister Emma Hardy said the schemes would ensure residents have the "long-term protection they need, while boosting local growth and creating new jobs".

The government's Plan for Change project includes 108 schemes across Yorkshire and the Humber.

The largest plans in the area include the refurbishment of the Don catchment regulators, Winestead Drain pumping station investigations and improving defences at Derringham Aquagreens.

The Derringham project uses aqua greens and sustainable drainage systems to improve the area's resilience to flooding, according to Yorkshire Water.

The aqua greens retain water, acting as temporary basins during heavy rainfall. The water then slowly drains back into the sewer network.

Floods Minister Emma Hardy says she has had first-hand experience of flooding

Some of the funding announced for Lincolnshire includes almost £11.3m in beach management between Saltfleet and Gibraltar Point, more than £1.2m to refurbish Gibraltar Point pumping station and £1.5m for the Chain Bridge pumping station refurbishment.

Caroline Douglass, executive director for flood and coastal risk management at the EA, said defending communities was a "priority" and climate change had made it "more important than ever".

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