Hull flood defences leave city 'better protected'

Over 110,000 homes in Hull are better protected from flooding after defences on the Humber estuary were completed, the Environment Agency has said.

The £42m scheme runs for more than four miles (7km) from St Andrew's Quay to Victoria Dock Village.

Hull was last hit by tidal flooding in 2013 when a storm surge flooded 264 homes in the city.

The Environment Agency said water levels on the Humber could rise by over three feet (1m) in the next 100 years.

Oliver Harmer, from the agency, said the new defences left the city "better prepared for the future".

"I was here in 2013. I saw for myself just how devastating it was," he said.

"Of course the sea level's rising, climate is changing. It's schemes like this which are so, so important to the future of Hull and, indeed, the whole of the Humber estuary."

"The foundations are now in place to raise the walls, to increase the standard of protection should sea levels rise further."

Hull was hit by flooding following a tidal surge in December 2013

Parts of the defences incorporate glass screens to allow views of the estuary.

The stretch covering the former fishing dock at St Andrew's Quay has a section in the shape of a ship's hull and will incorporate a memorial to the 6,000 trawlermen from Hull who lost their lives at sea.

Work began on the project in 2016 and it is part of a larger £300m flood prevention scheme to protect Hull and the surrounding area.

Hull is one of the lowest lying cities in the UK. During high spring tides, water levels in the estuary have the potential to rise by around 1m to 3m in some parts of the city.