French President Francois Hollande declared a state of natural disaster at the Congress of mayors of France, held in Paris yesterday after the River Seine burst its banks and swept through the French capital.

The Environment Agency is considering accelerating a number of flood defence schemes in Cumbria, including a £24 million scheme for Kendal, as part of its continuing work following on from the winter storms.

Anglian Water is working in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council on a new £800,000 scheme to manage surface water at Stamp End in Lincoln to reduce the risk of flooding to roads, homes and businesses during heavy rainfall.

The Environment Agency has been working in partnership with South Kesteven District Council, Witham First Internal Drainage Board and Anglian Water to help reduce flood risk at Witham Brook.

Defra is extending the appointments of  four Regional Flood and Coastal Committee Chairs: Dr Jonathan Hargreaves as the Chair of the Northumbria RFCC, Professor Robert Van de Noort as the Chair of the South West (Devon and Cornwall) RFCC, Amanda Nobbs as the Chair of Thames RFCC, and Steve Wheatley as the Chair of Anglian (Central) RFCC.

The findings of a major  € 7.6m+ EU-funded research project to enhance risk management partnerships set up to deal with catastrophic natural hazards in Europe are being used at EU, national and local levels.