Flooding: Extra £10m to protect communities in Wales

An extra £10m has been allocated to help protect communities in Wales at risk of flooding.

Natural Resources Minister Alun Davies said it followed one of the wettest years on record in 2012, which affected hundreds of homes and businesses.

Heavy flooding hit Ceredigion and Denbighshire.

The Welsh government has said it has put more than £160m into flood protection, reducing the risk for 7,000 properties.

The additional £10m is part of a £76.5m capital investment programme outlined by Finance Minister Jane Hutt last week.

Last June heavy flooding hit Aberystwyth and nearby villages with a month's rainfall in 24 hours. In November hundreds of homes in St Asaph and Ruthin in Denbighshire were also hit by floods, and an elderly woman died.

Mr Davies said there was a commitment to managing the risk of flooding across Wales.

"We can never fully prevent all flooding, but we can manage the risks and reduce the consequences.

"As well as delivering protection from flooding and coastal erosion for some of our most vulnerable communities, this additional funding will also help to create and secure local jobs."

Ms Hutt added: "This extra investment in our flood defences will make a real difference to protecting communities right across Wales."

'Extensive programme'

The money will help fund flood and coastal risk management schemes, including:

• £5m to help protect more than 215 homes and business in the Colwyn Bay community, and the A55 and North Wales mainline railway. The Welsh government says it will also boost tourism through improvements to the beach.

• £2m to extend work on the proposed flood risk management scheme for Mold in Flintshire that will reduce the flooding risk for more than 90 properties.

• £1m for another phase of work to reduce the risk of coastal erosion and flooding in Borth to protect more than 330 homes and businesses, the Cambrian coast railway and the Borth bog site,

• £2m to support Natural Resources Wales' work improving flood and coastal defences including projects in Pendine, Llanfair Talhairn, Pontblyddyn, Ystrad Mynach, Severn Estuary, Ferryside, Bridgend and Talsarnau. The funding will also help with defence improvements to the Severn Estuary, Crindau in Newport and the River Rhymney in Cardiff.

Natural Resources Wales welcomed the £2m pledged for flood defence projects across Wales which it said would support its flood risk programme throughout 2013/14.

The organisation's Trefor Owen said: "Our work reduces flood risk to homes and businesses and we are undertaking an extensive programme of work to ensure communities are better protected."