Government cash set to boost Worcester's flood measures - The Worcester Observer

Government cash set to boost Worcester's flood measures

Worcester Editorial 19th Aug, 2021   0

WORCESTER is set to benefit from £238,000 of Government cash to help protect against flooding and coastal erosion.

The funding comes as part of the Government’s £860million investment to protect communities from flooding next year and part of a wider record investment of £5.2billion into protection from flooding and coastal erosion over the next six years.

A consultation will also be launched in the autumn looking at how to better protect frequently flooded communities.

The money means 70 homes and businesses in Worcester are to be better protected from flooding and coastal erosion by 2026-27.




The Flood and Coastal Erosion Investment Plan outlines how this £5.2billion of investment over the next six years will be spent, including more than £860million in 2021-22 on boosting the design and construction of more than 1,000 flooding alleviation schemes.

It’s estimated the cash will help to protect a total of 336,000 properties in England by 2026-2027, including the 70 in Worcester, helping to avoid £32billion in wider economic damages and reducing the national flood risk by up to 11 per cent across the country.


This Autumn’s consultation will see Government look at how to better protect frequently flooded communities, following a call for evidence earlier this year.

It will consider how to strengthen the assessment of local circumstances, such as where areas have flooded on multiple occasions, when allocating funding during the six-year plan.

Improvements to flood insurance such as measures to allow flooded households to claim extra money to install property flood resilience measures – like air brick covers, flood doors and flood resistant paint – and measures to tackle the risks from surface water flooding are also included in the plans.

Worcester MP Robin Walker said: “Worcester residents know the damage flooding can do to communities which is why I have made additional flood defences and protection for homes and businesses a priority.

“The city centre scheme to reduce surface water damage will help keep the area around the Hive safe, while a major scheme to protect Toronto Close will invest £160,000 in an area whose residents have suffered a great deal.

“Importantly, these investments will help to guard homes and families from the devastating impact of flooding, allowing people to feel reassured about the safety of their home.”

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