Floods: 'Town or Country' warns Environment Agency boss

The UK must make “difficult choices” between protecting towns or countryside from future flooding according to Environment Agency boss, Lord Smith.

Lord Smith argued that there was no “bottomless purse” for flood defences and that current guidance which gives priority to lives and homes “involves tricky issues of policy and priority: town or country, front rooms or farmland?”

Writing to the Daily Telegraph newspaper Lord Smith  offered his condolences to badly affected areas such as the Somerset levels but cautioned: “there are no quick fixes in the face of this kind of extreme rainfall, and the solutions are not just for the Environment Agency to find. We all need to work together if we’re to solve the problem.”

Lord Smith’s comments come as even more flood and weather warnings are issued in the South West with large areas of Devon’s coast expected to see further flooding over the next few days.
Several of Devon’s coastal communities were flooded this weekend with a combination of high tides and heavy rain seeing many coastal defensives overrun.

Salcombe, Looe, Fowey, Newlyn, Porthleven, Mevagissey,Kingsbridge and Devonport in Plymouth all experienced flooding over the weekend.

There has also been some heavy travel disruption today as well with trains along the coast between Exeter and Newton Abbot suspended until further notice due Emergency engineering work to damage caused by the weather.

Coatal trains in Cornwall have also been suspended today and limited replacement buses are replacing the closed services.

The Environment Agency has renewed warnings that coastal areas should be avoided and that beaches, promenades and coastal routes are extremely dangerous in their current state.

There are currently 20 flood warnings which require ‘immediate action’ in the South West including for Low lying and exposed communities between Exmouth and Lyme Regis, including sea front areas of Exmouth, Budleigh Salterton, Sidmouth and Seaton.

Unfortunately more heavy rain is on its way as the Met Office issue yellow weather warnings for rain on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

Heavy rain and very strong winds will move northwards across the UK from Tuesday evening onwards through much of Wednesday very strong winds are also likely with gusts of 60-70 mph, mainly along exposed coasts with the possibility of 80 mph winds along some coastlines in the southwest.

The Met Office’s Chief Forecaster said: “A low pressure system is expected to develop in the West Atlantic on Monday, deepening rapidly before moving northeast across the UK late on Tuesday through Wednesday.

“Given the rain associated with this system, and the saturated ground in many areas, there is a potential for further flooding from surface water or from rivers.  This risk is highest in south west England, central southern England and parts of South Wales.

“Very strong winds with this system could in themselves lead to disruption and will also bring the potential for some coastal flooding due to large waves and high tides.”