Defra has announced the second round of a £5.5 million grant scheme to help households better protect their homes against flooding.

The Property Level Flood Protection Grant Scheme is part of the Government’s response to Sir Michael Pitt’s review of the 2007 floods. In this the second phase, £2.6 million will be allocated to 34 schemes in areas at high risk of flooding, enabling 532 households to benefit from practical flood protection solutions such as air bricks covers, storm porches, door guards and flood boards.

Environment Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies said:

“In the future we must be prepared for more extreme weather on all levels. There are 490,000 properties at significant risk of (river/coastal) flooding in England. Since the floods of 2007 we have been taking action on a range of fronts to protect against the heart breaking damage and destruction that can be caused by floods.

Property level measures like flood boards aren’t appropriate for every situation, but as was shown in Appleby at the end of last year, they can be a very effective way for householders to protect their homes.”

In the first round of funding, £3 million was made available to 25 local authorities to protect up to 593 properties across England.

Robert Runcie, Environment Agency Director of Flood and Coastal Risk Management, said:

"We welcome the second round of funding for Defra's property level flood protection grant scheme. We urge all individuals and businesses at risk of flooding to make their property more resistant by fitting products such as flood gates, in addition to signing up to our free flood warning service”

Local authorities are responsible for delivering the scheme locally and are able to tailor schemes to suit the needs of their communities.