The Environment Agency (EA) reported that Storm Babet alone had caused 2,200 homes to be flooded by the end of October 2023, according to the National Audit Office (NAO) report Resilience to flooding, published on 15 November 20231. The report covers England only; managing flooding and coastal erosion in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is devolved and outside its scope1.
The Met Office reported that 18 to 20 October was the third wettest independent three-day period for England and Wales in a series dating back to 18911. Heavy, persistent and widespread rain affected much of England when Storms Babet and Ciaran struck in October and November 20231. The NAO also recorded earlier events: in February 2022 the country experienced three named storms (Dudley, Eunice and Franklin) in one week for the first time, with more than 370 properties affected, mainly by river flooding; and in July 2021 parts of London received a month's rain within a couple of hours, with more than 1,500 properties suffering surface water flooding1.
The EA estimates that in 2022-23 approximately 5.7 million properties in England were at risk from flooding, an increase of around 500,000 between 2021-22 and 2022-23, which the EA reports is due to a better understanding of the level of risk through improved information rather than an increase in risk1. The NAO identifies four main sources of flood risk: rivers; the sea; surface water (when rainwater cannot drain away); and groundwater (where the water table level rises above ground)1.
On defences and funding, the NAO found that capital funding is forecast to deliver protection to far fewer properties by 2027 than was promised when the capital programme was launched, and that the EA underspent by £310 million in the first two years of the programme1. It also found that, for the lack of £34 million in annual maintenance funding for 2022-23, more than 200,000 properties are at increased risk of flooding1. The government has doubled its capital funding in England for the six years to 2027, and the EA will need to achieve record levels of investment in the remaining four years to spend the full £5.2 billion allocated1.
"For the lack of £34 million in annual maintenance funding for 2022-23, more than 200,000 properties are at increased risk of flooding."
Why it matters for households
The figures set out in the report describe the scale of risk and of recent flooding in England. The EA estimate of 5.7 million properties at risk covers all four sources of flood risk, so the exposure is not confined to households near rivers or the coast1. The NAO's finding on maintenance concerns existing defences: it states that more than 200,000 properties are at increased risk of flooding because of the shortfall in annual maintenance funding for 2022-231. The report also notes risk to transport and utilities infrastructure from flooding1. The Met Office's UK climate projections, cited in the report, indicate more extreme weather events including more intense rainfall, which combined with factors such as more housing development will increase flooding risks if mitigating actions are not taken1. The report does not set out household-level advice; the site's flooding hub and storms and snow hub cover practical preparation.
What happens next
The NAO reports that the government's vision for flood resilience stretches to 2100 and that the EA has strategic objectives for 2050, but that it has not set a target for the level of flood resilience it expects to achieve and has not mapped out solid plans beyond 20261. The capital programme runs for the six years to 2027, and the EA will need record levels of investment in the remaining four years to spend the full £5.2 billion allocated1. The NAO warns that value for money risks being further eroded if projects are accelerated or new projects introduced too quickly to meet that level of investment1.
Sources (1)
- Resilience to flooding - NAO report, nao.org.uk
