Millions of families across England are set to benefit from a new one stop shop for flood advice as the Environment Agency marks the start of Flood Action Week, and the government has set an ambitious new target to improve flood protection for 200,000 properties.
‘Flood Action Online’ a one stop shop for flood advice has been unveiled, with a focus to help people understand their home’s flood risk and take practical action to reduce this.
It brings together clear, actionable guidance, including on how to find out if they are at risk of flooding and get flood warnings, while also gaining easy access to Met Office weather alerts during an incident. Homeowners can also identify practical changes, like property flood resilience measures, to become more resilient to flooding.
To ensure the nation is more resilient to flooding, the government is investing £4.2 billion between last April and March 2029 to repair and replace existing defences and construct new ones, with hundreds of projects set to be completed.
The new target for 200,000 properties to benefit from this investment will deliver a total economic benefit of £27.9 billion in avoided damage as communities gain better protection and growth is delivered in every postcode.
The announcement is part of the government’s wide-ranging actions to face the challenges of our changing climate and build a more resilient country: one that can withstand droughts and floods, which can occur at the same time, and other extreme weather events.
It comes as a new Flood and Drought Resilience Taskforce meets for the first time this week, to strengthen the nation’s ability to plan for and respond to extreme weather.
Floods Minister Emma Hardy said:
Climate change means that extreme weather can switch quickly, but we’re more prepared than ever before for the challenges posed by floods.
This government has ambitious targets and historic investment to support the country against severe weather. Our new Flood and Drought Resilience Taskforce will put communities and businesses at the heart of our defence plans, while our £4.2 billion investment in new and existing flood defences will protect even more people over the coming years.
We are continuing to step up our defences against the weather, and encourage everyone to check their flood risk, prepare a flood plan, and follow warnings to protect their home and family.
The government spent £2.65 billion in its first two years on flood defences, with almost 62,000 properties better protected – exceeding the original target of 52,000. This investment has also stabilised the condition of existing assets after years of decline, with the percentage of assets at or above their required condition rising to 93% at the end of March 2026. Today, as Environment Agency teams across the country continue their work to ensure vital protections remain strong, the government has set a target for asset condition to rise further to 93.5% by March 2029.
This comes as the Environment Agency launches their annual campaign Flood Action Week aimed to encourage people to prepare for flooding by taking proactive steps such as knowing their flood risk, preparing a flood plan, and getting flood warnings.
Caroline Douglass, Executive Director for Floods at the Environment Agency, said:
Every year, flooding threatens communities across England, and as we deal with the changing climate, it’s never been more important for people to understand what they can do to prepare.
This Flood Action Week, our new flood website will make it easier than ever to access helpful guidance, while our ongoing investment and maintenance programme will ensure our flood defences continue to protect the areas that need them most.
As we head into the winter, our teams are ready to respond around the clock, backed by hundreds of pumps and kilometres of temporary barriers, but we can all play our part in making a difference.
Behind the scenes, the Environment Agency maintains 260 mobile pumps, including 17 ultra-high-volume pumps, along with 25 kilometres of temporary barriers ready to be deployed wherever they are needed.
They also operate a 24/7 response to flooding emergencies, with 600 people on call at any one time and plans in place to escalate its response when needed.
The Environment Agency also provides free flood warnings to help people prepare for flooding and reduce the impact it has on their lives.
