Defra claims £2.6bn flood defence rollout could save UK £28bn in damages

The government claims to have reduced the national flood risk by five per cent following a six-year, multi-billion pound flood and coastal defence investment programme, which it said could prevent tens of billions of pounds of damage to property and infrastructure from worsening climate-driven floods in the coming years.

During a £2.6bn programme of work carried out nationwide between 2015 to 2021, more than 850 projects aimed at better protecting against flooding and coastal erosion were completed, according to a report published today by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Over their lifetime, these projects are expected save the UK economy more than £28bn in avoided damages to properties, businesses and other infrastructure, it calculates.

Moreover, it argues schemes completed during the six-year period have helped boost the flood protection of more than 314,000 homes, while protecting some 580,000 acres of agricultural land and 8,000 kilometres of road.

“Our programme of work has protected over 314,000 properties, defending people, communities, and businesses from flooding and coastal erosion,” said Environment Secretary George Eustice. “We know that there is still more to do, so we are doubling our investment with a record £5.2bn over the next six years.”

Story via BusinessGreen