Lincolnshire County Council: Extra cash proposed to reduce flood risk

Parts of Horncastle saw significant flooding in October during Storm Babet

Lincolnshire County Council is set to consider plans for up to an extra £4m to be spent on flood relief measures.

Leader Martin Hill said flooding was "a real concern for residents", brought to the fore by the damage caused by recent storms.

More than 600 properties in the county were flooded during Storm Babet, according to the authority.

Mr Hill said the funding was needed to mitigate the "devastating impact" felt by residents.

Strom Babet saw more than a month's worth of rain fall in parts of the county in just 24 hours.

"Now, we are keen to understand what happened, and how we can best protect these communities from flooding in the future," Mr Hill said.

Flooding during Strom Henk affected homes at Scothern in West Lindsey

More than 70 properties were also flooded due to Storm Henk in January and the county's road network was badly affected, with Dunham Toll Bridge, which carries the A57 over the River Trent between Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire closed for several days.

Mr Hill told BBC Radio Lincolnshire there was "obviously a major issue" in the county that required a multi-agency approach to resolve.

However, he said: "We do feel it is one of those issues where we have to step in and do our bit to help."

Mr Hill said flood prevention was a priority for the authority

He said the authority also had a responsibility to investigate when houses had been flooded and "work out what needs to be done".

"We get a little bit of money from the government for that, but nothing like we need," he said.

Mr Hill highlighted a number of recently completed drainage improvement schemes where he said communities had been better protected during Storm Babet.

The extra cash would help the authority to identify where further drainage schemes would have "the most impact" and allow for new equipment to be purchased, he added.

Mr Hill said he would be putting forward an amendment for the funding when the council meets to agrees its budget for 2024/25 on Friday.