Surface water flooding resulting from heavy rain caused a large amount of travel disruption in England and Wales on Monday, 23 September, as the Environment Agency issued 22 flood warnings and more than 85 flood alerts.
Tens of thousands more properties are at risk now compared to 2018 due to deteriorating flood defences, according to a leak to the Guardian newspaper.
The Environment Agency has formed a new taskforce to “turbocharge” the delivery of flood defences and the overall preparedness of the UK to the threat of flooding.
A new Bill has been passed through parliament which is set to herald the most significant increase in enforcement powers against water companies in a decade, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The £40M Lydd Ranges Sea Defence scheme in Kent has been completed by Van Oord UK after overcoming “environmental sensitivities and the operational requirements of the adjoining firing ranges”.
The Environment Agency has alerted contractors that it will be procuring for a £3bn framework for engineering and construction suppliers to provide support on its assets, primarily related to flooding and water management.
The River Itchen Flood Alleviation Scheme (RIFAS) in Southampton has seen a dramatic increase in projected costs from £41M to £70M, according to a local councillor.
The Environment Agency and contractor Mackley have installed a new 16m-long footbridge over the River Medway that is made of fibre-reinforced polymer recycled from old fishing nets.
The £2.1M Weardale Natural Flood Management scheme, comprising 25 nature based features across County Durham, was completed last week.
Aggregate Industries, working with Jackson Civil Engineering, has delivered 89,000t of rock armour, via sea and road, to the Environment Agency’s £29M Stallingborough Sea Defence Improvement Scheme.
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