Government asked for £20m to fund flood prevention

People were pulled to safety in Debenham after Storm Babet hit in October 2023

A county council has asked the government to provide £20m to fund "urgent" flood prevention measures.

In a letter, Suffolk County Council called on the flooding minister to recognise the "ongoing impact" of last October's Storm Babet, and provide cash for "prevention work urgently needed".

The council said it had committed £1.5m to deliver the first phase of the works, but said it "can't afford" the further millions.

A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) spokesperson said it had introduced a taskforce to "turbocharge" building flood defences.

Drains being cleared in Brandeston to try and prevent flooding

Storm Babet struck between 18 and 21 October 2023 and caused substantial flooding and disruption across Suffolk, the council said.

"A month’s worth of rain fell in 24 hours, flooding more than 900 homes and businesses," said Suffolk County Council.

"The impact of the storm was exceptional and demanded an urgent multi-agency response."

The authority said so far, it had committed more than £13.75m for work to aid recovery from Storm Babet.

Works already completed since the storm include more than 111,000 drains cleared and road repairs.

Debenham's High Street was under water during Storm Babet, with cars stranded

The council outlined the kinds of projects it wanted to deliver to prevent future floods. They include:

• Flood water retention ponds to capture water and slow the flow into residential areas

• Installing flood doors and non-return valves on drains to stop water entering properties particularly at risk

• Help landowners with advice and guidance, especially those with responsibilities to maintain ditches and streams on their properties

• Bolster Suffolk Highways’ resources to deliver planned and reactive maintenance on the county’s roads and footpaths

Paul West, cabinet member for operational highways and flooding at the council, said since the storm, teams had been repairing the damage it caused and investigating what happened to help reduce future flood risks.

"This preventative work is complex, costly and requires lots of agencies work together," said West.

"Despite limited resources and budgetary challenges facing all county councils, we have managed to find extra money to tackle flooding and propose investing a further £1.5m to deliver work identified in our investigations.

"However, this isn’t enough and - so steep is the challenge facing areas like Suffolk, who were hit hard by Storm Babet - the government must act and provide extra funding."

Scientists say many extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of climate change.

'Turbocharge building'

Defra said it was investing more than £1.25bn to scale up "national resilience" to flooding.

A spokesperson added: “Flooding devastates homes and businesses across the country.

"That is why this government has introduced a Flood Resilience Taskforce to turbocharge the building [of] flood defences and bolster the nation’s resilience to extreme weather.”