The Environment Agency (EA) has published a detailed update setting out how it is working to increase flood resilience in the River Great Ouse.

The floods of December 2020 in the River Great Ouse catchment were caused by continued heavy rainfall on already saturated ground - flooding affected many homes and communities across the region.

Over the last year, the Environment Agency has worked with local communities to better understand the effects of the flooding, and to help improve resilience to such flood events.

The EA has invested around £30 million in flood defence schemes, repairs and improvements to the thousands of flood risk assets in the River Great Ouse catchment - the Agency owns or operates 1,141 of these assets. This figure includes £24.6 million allocated for capital schemes and £3.8 million in maintenance for the financial year 2020 to 2021. For the financial year 2021 to 22, £11.3 million is allocated for capital schemes, and £3.7 million for maintenance.

A further 5,000 assets are owned or operated by other agencies such as internal drainage boards and local authorities.

An improved flood warning service has been activated and is ready for winter - the 25 highest risk areas in the River Great Ouse catchment can now receive earlier flood warnings than ever before.

For properties in areas not protected by flood defences, the Agency is looking at the potential for new schemes and also other measures such as Property Flood Resilience (PFR).

Simon Hawkins, the Agency’s Area Director, said:

“The Environment Agency has worked constantly over the years to better protect thousands of properties from flooding in the River Great Ouse catchment.

“Since December 2020 we have taken a range of measures to improve flood resilience across the region. We have engaged with communities affected by flooding and inspected and repaired thousands of flood defence assets. Our flood defence capital programme has continued to progress, with more flood defence schemes under construction.

“Flooding will continue to be a threat to our region. The effects are devastating to those affected and disruptive to many people, with recovery costs that can be huge.

“We can never eliminate flooding and we urge people to be prepared for flooding by following the ‘Prepare, Act, Survive’ guidance.”

Investment in the area’s flood defences over the last 10 years

Between 2011 and 2021 the EA has invested over £77 million in building and funding flood defence schemes that now better protect more than 15,500 properties in Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire from flooding and erosion.

The schemes have been completed by the Agency working on its own, or in partnership, and by sponsoring organisations through government Grant-in-Aid (GiA).

The types of scheme include:

• Flood and erosion protection
• Replacement flood defences
• Natural flood management
• Major flood gates
• Pumping station refurbishments
• Reservoir protection
• Individual property flood resilience measures

The Agency is warning that more extreme weather events caused by the climate emergency are being increasingly felt, and flooding will become more likely everywhere. River level records will be broken time and again and more intense rainfall will cause severe surface water flooding.