Flood defence fears as Environment Agency funds cut

A 'huge funding gap' is opening up between the money needed to maintain flood defences and the cash coming from the Government, experts have warned.

A National Audit Office report said the Environment Agency estimated it needed an annual increase of £20 million or nine per cent more on its budget from the Government to maintain flooding protection.

But officials in the county today said they had always taken the issue of flooding seriously and had been able to source funding from other areas.

Government funding for the agency has been cut by 10 per cent in the current spending review period, compared to the last.

Without an increase in central funding from 2015, communities would be increasingly reliant on locally secured money to maintain flood defences, the report warned.

However, Councillor Malcolm Price, cabinet member at Shropshire Council, said 'the council had 'local flood risk management in hand'.