Prime Minister Announces Funding for Flood Defenses

Prime Minister David Cameron announced a package of more than £40m yesterday to rebuild and improve flood defenses in the aftermath of Storm Eva.

“I have seen at first-hand the devastation caused by flooding. And that’s why this work to repair and improve flood defenses is so vital,” Cameron said.

“We are already spending £280m over the next 6 years to protect thousands of houses from flooding in Yorkshire as part of our £2.3bn investment to protect 300,000 houses across the country.

“But now more than £40m will be spent to fix those defenses overwhelmed by the record rainfall we’ve seen in recent weeks and to make them more resilient to further bad weather.”

The Prime Minister announced that £10m of the new funding package would be reserved to improve the Foss Barrier protecting York, which was overwhelmed at the height of Storm Eva.

The other £30m will be spent repairing defenses on the Wharfe, Calder, Aire, Ouse and Derwent. It will include repairs to pumping and barriers and clearing blockages in rivers.

The flooding response in Yorkshire will be overseen by Transport Minister Robert Goodwill, who has been appointed by the Prime Minister as Flooding Envoy to the county.