Report by Duncan Williams for Pulman's Weekly News
Thousands of homes and businesses across the South West are now better protected from flooding, as major investment in defences begins to show results ahead of what experts warn will be a wetter, more unpredictable future.
New figures released by the Environment Agency reveal that 4,916 properties in the region have benefited from improved flood protection over the past two years, including communities in coastal and low-lying areas such as parts of East Devon. Among the most significant schemes is the £120 million Avonmouth Severnside Enterprise Area (ASEA) project, which has delivered 17 kilometres of new flood defences.
The scale of the Avonmouth scheme is not only reducing flood risk to 2,500 homes and businesses, but is also expected to help unlock up to 12,000 new jobs across the West of England.
Meanwhile in Somerset, the £9.7 million refurbishment of the Dunball Sluice has extended the structure’s operational life by at least 25 years. The upgrade has already proved its worth, allowing all eight gates to operate at full capacity when conditions allow, helping to efficiently drain floodwaters from the Somerset Levels and Moors.
The improvements come as part of a wider national programme that has exceeded expectations. Across England, 61,898 homes and businesses have been better protected from flooding since 2024 - nearly 10,000 more than originally planned.
The Government says its £2.65 billion investment in flood defences is beginning to pay off, with more than 250 projects completed and an estimated £10 billion in future damage prevented.
Caroline Douglass, Executive Director of Floods and Coastal Risk Management at the Environment Agency, said the milestone reflects a sustained national effort.
“Flooding has a devastating impact on communities and will only worsen as our climate changes,” she said.
“Exceeding our target by nearly 10,000 properties reflects the tireless work of our teams and partners across the country to protect the communities they live in.
“With more than 600 projects being taken forward in the coming year, we will continue working to ensure vulnerable towns and cities get the protection they need.”
Floods Minister Emma Hardy described the impact of flooding as “life-changing”, adding that investment was reversing years of underperformance.
“Flooding is life-changing - destroying homes, shutting down businesses and leaving communities facing months of heartbreak,” she said.
“This Government has invested a record £2.65 billion to repair flood defences and build new ones. After we inherited defences left in tatters, our investment is paying off, with almost 62,000 homes and businesses better protected from flooding and a further 840,000 properties on course to benefit by 2036.”
The urgency of these improvements was underlined earlier this year, when exceptionally wet weather hit parts of the country. While several hundred properties were flooded, Environment Agency teams successfully protected more than 24,000 others - demonstrating the value of strengthened defences.
With more than six million properties in England considered at risk from flooding, and climate change expected to increase the frequency of extreme weather events, officials say continued investment remains critical.
Every £1 spent on flood defences is estimated to prevent around £8 in economic damage, offering significant long-term savings for households, businesses and the wider economy.
Looking ahead, a further £1.4 billion has been committed for the coming year alone, funding more than 600 projects nationwide. By 2036, the Government aims for its wider £10.5 billion programme to better protect around 840,000 properties.
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