Flood defences for thousands of homes to be bolstered after devastating storms

Flood defences will be bolstered to protect thousands of homes over the next two years, ministers have announced. The Department for Food Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) said a "record" £2.65bilion package will see 52,000 properties benefit from new defences.There will also be efforts to shore up "creaking" defences in 14,500 further homes and businesses across the country. It follows a series of storms - including Darragh and Eowyn - that "have devastated lives and livelihood," Environment Secretary Steve Reed said.

He added: "The role of any government is to protect its citizens. We are investing a record £2.65 billion to build and maintain flood defences to protect lives, homes and businesses from the dangers of flooding.”. Labour has blamed the Tories for letting defences fall into disrepair during the party's 14-year spell in government. BLUESKY: Follow our Mirror Politics account on Bluesky here. And follow our Mirror Politics team here - Lizzy Buchan, Jason Beattie, Kevin Maguire, Sophie Huskisson, Dave Burke, Ashley Cowburn, Mikey Smith.

POLITICS WHATSAPP: Be first to get the biggest bombshells and breaking news by joining our Politics WhatsApp group here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you want to leave our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. NEWSLETTER: Or sign up here to the Mirror's Politics newsletter for all the best exclusives and opinions straight to your inbox.

PODCAST: And listen to our exciting new political podcast The Division Bell, hosted by the Mirror and the Express every Thursday. They pointed to figures from last year showing the Conservatives set aside £5.2billion on bolstering flood defences - but just £1.5billion had been used by March 2024. A Labour source told The Mirror : “Yet again the Conservatives were all talk and no action. Failing to spend over two thirds of the money pledged for flood defences was a dereliction of duty and badly let flood-hit communities down.

“If Kemi Badenoch wants to lead by example and say sorry to the British public for the mistakes the Conservatives made, will she make Robbie Moore apologise for this?”. Environment Agency chairman Alan Lovell said: "The impact of flooding on our communities will only become greater as climate change brings more extreme weather, like Storms Bert, Conall and Eowyn. "With this new funding, we will work closely with the government to deliver the vital projects that are needed across the country, ensuring our investment goes to those communities who need it the most.".