A £7 million flood scheme which will reduce the risk of flooding to some 300 homes and businesses in the Lower Swansea valley has been officially opened.

The Environment Agency has launched a new consultation on its proposals for the Climping flood risk strategy in East Sussex – funding is a key challenge which will make some works unaffordable.

The Crown Estate has completed the construction of a £325,000 flood defence wall at Hawkins Point, Sunk Island to protect the areas high grade agricultural land from flooding.

The Environment Agency is going ahead with its plans to develop a major scheme to reduce flood risk to the towns of Shoreham-by-sea and Lancing in West Sussex.

The Environment Agency has developed the new system to provide quicker and more specific warnings to the public when they are at risk from river or coastal flooding.

The Government has rejected criticism of inadequate spending on flood defences in its formal response to the National Audit Office’s 2014 report on flood defence spending published this morning which claims that underlying spending has gone down.