Flooding

NERC invites applications to attend a jointly organised workshop with the Environment Agency (EA) and Department for Food, Environment & Rural Affairs (Defra) on 9 June 2016 on using natural processes to minimise flood risk.

NERC, the EA and Defra are interested in identifying the key environmental research priorities related to using natural processes to reduce flood risk, with a view to potentially developing a collaborative research programme in this area. To support this process a scoping workshop will be held on 9 June 2016.

The Chief Executive of the Environment Agency says revitalising natural landscapes can reduce flood risk.

Sir James Bevan visited the uplands in the Peak District National Park on Friday to see firsthand how the Environment Agency’s investment is supporting the Moors for the Future Partnership in reversing the effects of hundreds of years of industrial pollution and helping to reduce flood risk.

The Environment Agency has carried out 16,000 inspections and identified around 660 flood defences needing repair work in the wake of record-breaking wet weather in December.

Heavy rain throughout December led to it becoming the wettest month on record, with 14 rivers across the north recording their highest ever flows. Almost 200 Environment Agency river level gauges recorded their highest ever river level, 10 per cent of the total across England. Honister Pass in Cumbria saw the highest amount of rainfall ever in a 24-hour period, as more than 341mm fell.

Following Storm Desmond last December, the government launched a National Flood Resilience Review.  The review will be chaired by Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Oliver Letwin.

The festive season was marred by floods for many people in northern England (including Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire) and Scotland (including Perthshire, Aberdeenshire and the Scottish Borders). The Met Office has released statistics for December showing that it was the wettest calendar month since records began in 1910.