Hilary Benn statement on flooding
Hilary Benn today issued a written statement on the recent flooding and the winter flood risk.
Mr Benn said:
“Heavy rain is not unusual at this time of year and the quantity we have seen in recent days has not been exceptional. However, we have experienced several bands of often intense rain falling on catchments that are now saturated. This has caused the rainfall to reach rivers more quickly than normal and those rivers have tended to rise rapidly in response.
“While significant numbers of flood warnings and watches have been in place for several days, and recognising how disruptive and distressing flooding is to those affected and especially for people who were flooded last summer, the impact has been relatively limited.”
While Mr Benn warned that there may be further flooding, given that more rain is forecast and as the rivers continue to rise, he stated that the flooding is on a much smaller scale than the 2007 summer floods.
Further information
- Hilary Benn’s full statement
- If you are worried about flooding please phone the Environment Agency's Floodline number: (0845) 988 1188
- Information on current flood warnings is accessible via the Environment Agency website
- A range of advice for citizens on flooding is available on Directgov
- Key information sources on flooding provides links and telephone numbers for a range of organisations
- For background information about how flood risk is managed in England please see our policy pages
Emergency response to events will be led by the police alongside the other emergency services (ambulance and fire) and in liaison with local authorities and the Environment Agency. At the national level, Defra has the lead Department role in planning for flood emergencies.
Page published: 17 January 2008