Questions are yet again being raised about the UK’s flood defence management and its ability to cope with flash floods in the wake of yesterday’s floods in Cornwall.

The Environment Agency has come in for particular criticism, with accusations that it has failed to maintain drains and culverts. The Government also stands accused of reducing funding for flood defences by former Labour frontbencher Ben Bradshaw, who challenged the Prime Minister yesterday about the “false economy of his recent decision to slash investment in flood defences.” Yesterday in the House of Commons David Cameron said that the Government stood ready to help Cornwall in whatever way necessary.

n October’s Comprehensive Spending Review the Coalition pledged to spend £2bn from 2011-2015 on flood defence, compared to £2.15bn spent from 2008-2011. Planned spend for the four years from 2011/12 spending on flood and coastal erosion risk management will be around £540 million per year.

According to Defra, the previous administration spent a total of £2.36 billion over the last four years i.e. £2.1bn over the next four years on flood defences compared to the last four years equates to an 11 per cent cut.

David Rooke, Head of Flood Risk Management at the Agency, said that the organisation adopted a risk-based approach to flood management and that it was difficult to predict where serious flash floods would occur.

Yet there must be something the UK still isn't getting right – every year somewhere in the UK now seems to be affected by serious flooding. Surely having a simple rule of thumb that coastal towns like Mevagissey or Boscastle, or towns like Lostwithiel with rivers running through the middle are particularly vulnerable would be a good starting point. If the Agency is adopting a risk-based approach, proceeding on the basis that these are high-risk locations should be a relatively straightforward decision.

The floods also inevitably beg the question as to whether the UK is building its flood defences to a sufficiently high standard –in the light of ongoing climate change, planning for 1 in 300 year events, or even 1 in 50,  simply may not be enough.

Given current constraints on public expenditure, serious consideration should now be given to the creation of strategic flood rapid response teams and capability around the UK for swift deployment when such events occur, enabling local authorities to share an increasingly heavy cost burden.

The floods have been attributed to a combination of heavy rain, strong winds and high tides. Water coming off the moors brought with it a torrent of rocks and debris. There is currently ongoing concern that the 700-year old bridge in Lostwithiel is in danger of collapse. The Environment Agency currently has five flood warnings in force for rivers in the South West, with a further 17 flood watches in place for rivers in the South West.

It does not augur well that the first big storm of the winter has generated such damage and costs running into tens of millions of pounds.