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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Mr. Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment she has made of the impact of flash flooding in (a) Worcester, (b) Worcestershire and (c) England and Wales; and if she will make a statement; [170130] (2) what advice she has received on the future incidence of flash flooding. [170131] Mr. Morley: I understand the recent flash floods in Worcester resulting from exceptionally intense rainfall equivalent to around a month's rain in just a few hours. This caused extensive highway flooding and some local property flooding. This flooding was from surface runoff and storm sewer/highway drain overflow and not from the main river system. Although the Environment Agency (EA) issued a Floodwatch and were operating a local storm balancing system on the Barbourne Brook in Worcester, the wider emergency response to the flash flooding fell for the most part to Severn Trent water and the local highway authority who are primarily responsible for responding to such incidents, the EA will be assisting its partners in the follow up investigation and the review of the storm event. The Government recognise the need for Integrated Drainage Plans for urban areas prone to such flooding, and this will be considered as part of Defra's new strategy on flood and coastal erosion risk management. However any assessment on flash flooding would need to take into account detailed knowledge of the drainage systems in the area, the local topography, together with modelling of the effects of different types of event. This information is not generally available and carries a high degree of uncertainty. The EA are in the meantime working with Research Councils and the Flood Risk Management Research Consortium to develop improved modelling and prediction of flooding in urban areas.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

421 c335W; 170130;170131

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Floods Worcestershire Worcester

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk