One of the UK’s leading professional engineering organisations is warning that the UK will continue to face the consequences of severe flooding until action is taken – including funding provision.

The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is calling for appropriate levels of funding to be put in place to ensure that the Lead Local Flood Authorities who are now tasked with responsibility for flooding are properly supported to deliver this.

Commenting this morning on yet another bout of serious flooding in the UK, Nick Baveystock, Director General of the Institution, said:

“As recent events have shown, Britain and its infrastructure networks remain at severe risk of flooding and we will continue to face the challenges and consequences of severe rainfall until action is taken. This includes setting in place appropriate levels of funding to enable our communities to adopt a wider range of measures that are not solely reliant on conventional flood defences. Lead Local Flood Authorities who now have responsibility for flooding must be properly supported to deliver this.

“The Environment Agency itself states that every £1 invested in flood and coastal erosion risk, returns on average £8 worth of benefit. Adopting a broader range of solutions that result in us becoming more flood resilient, will help ensure these benefits are realised.”

The Environment Agency has deployed emergency teams across northern England and Wales overnight, as further flooding threatened to hit communities in Northumberland, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria and County Durham this morning.

The Agency currently has 66 flood warnings where flooding is expected and immediate action required, together with a further 109 alerts where flooding is possible. Heavy overnight rain saw river levels rise rapidly with Morpeth in Northumberland particularly badly hit – the River Wansbech breached existing local flood defences and parts of the town had to be evacuated.

Four years ago Morpeth was devastated by similar flooding. Plans for a £21 million flood defence scheme were subsequently drawn up – however planning delays and funding issues mean that work is unlikely to start before 2014.

The Met Office is forecasting further heavy rain across England and Wales until Wednesday and further surface water and river flooding is likely as the bulk of water moves down the rivers over the next two days.