Thousands of substandard flood defenses as Storm Bram hits

Thousands of flood defenses intended to protect multiple homes or businesses in England were below required conditions when winter began, according to new analysis.

The 6,498 “high consequence” defenses were among approximately 8,500 that were not fully functioning as expected due to erosion, damage or excessive overgrowth.

Exclusive figures obtained by the BBC show that, as of October 20, almost 9% of the 98,000 defenses inspected by the Environment Agency were in poor condition.

While the Department of Environment, Agriculture and Rural Affairs says record levels of investment have improved the defense network since 2024, stark regional disparities remain.

More than 40% of flood defenses were below standard in North Tyneside, Brentwood in Essex and Hart in Hampshire, the highest proportions in the country.

A fifth of all defenses along the Thames corridor, passing through Oxfordshire, parts of Surrey and Greater London, were also not up to standard due to a combination of record rainfall and storm surge.

Storm Bram brought strong winds and heavy rain to the UK on Tuesday, with dozens of flood warnings in place.

Flooding was reported on riverside streets in York, part of the M66 in Greater Manchester and in Devon and Cornwall, where train services were disrupted.

Flood defenses in England range from artificial walls, embankments and storm drains to natural areas of high ground.

The Environment Agency inspects almost all defenses intended to prevent rivers from overflowing vulnerable towns and cities.

“Any flood defense that is not operating as close to 100% efficiency as possible is a cause for concern,” said Dave Throup, former Environment Agency area manager for the Midlands.

“It’s difficult to say why this is happening. Is it a lack of money? Or is it the attack that these flood defenses have received in the last three or four years as a result of many very large flood incidents? It’s very difficult to separate that.”

The data shows the scale of the challenge facing the government’s repair efforts, despite ministers pledging £2.65bn over two years to build and refurbish more than 1,000 flood defenses across England.

During its routine inspections, the Environment Agency gives flood defenses a score of five points. This is then measured against a target score that reflects the required condition.

The defenses may be lowered due to cracks and leaks. Sometimes they may be overgrown or, in the case of drains and sluices, blocked.

The Environment Agency said a defense could still function properly despite being in worse condition.

Flood Minister Emma Hardy said the Labor government had inherited flood defenses in “the worst condition on record” after “years of underinvestment”.

She said: “Our immediate response was to redirect £108 million into maintenance and repair work. But this is just the start.

“We are investing at least £10.5bn – the largest program ever – in flood defenses until 2036. This will build new defenses and repair assets across the country, protecting our communities for decades to come.”

The Environment Agency’s long-term aim is for only 2% of its high-consequence defenses to be below the target condition. The current figure is close to 9%.

In recent years, there have been several notable failures in flood protection.

More than 600 homes were evacuated in 2019 when the River Steeping burst its banks near Wainfleet, Lincolnshire. An official report found that an embankment built in 1968 had collapsed, despite the Environment Agency being aware of its vulnerabilities.

However, the BBC found that high consequence flood defenses were around 45% more likely to fail if maintained by a third party other than the Environment Agency.

The agency only deals with a third of the defenses it regularly inspects. An additional third is maintained by individuals, companies or charities and the rest is mainly the responsibility of local councils.

In January, the complex responsibilities around flood protection almost caused a disaster in a Leicestershire neighbourhood.

Residents of the Grange Park estate in Loughborough say they were forced to dig their own flood defenses when a privately owned pond meant to protect their homes overflowed.

The large hole is designed to store flood water, but residents there have raised concerns about its capacity during heavy storms. It filled completely in January, when the county was hit by record levels of rain and water began reaching front doors.

William H Davis Homes, which owned the pond at the time, said the cause had been a blockage on a neighboring parcel of land, but concerned residents say they did not have time to navigate a web of liability as the water moved forward.

In near-freezing conditions, about 30 people dug ditches in the green area outside their homes to divert the flow of water.

Engineer Katie Anderson helped lead the effort.

“If everyone hadn’t come together, I don’t want to think what could have happened,” he said.

There was confusion about who they could turn to for help. Katie says calls to her Severn Trent water company, the council and the developer went nowhere and time was running out.

“Everyone said it wasn’t their problem,” he added.

The pond was only formally adopted by Charnwood Council in October, but no improvements have yet been made to increase its capacity.

A council spokesperson said initial investigations showed the drainage system was working “as intended”. An independent survey is being carried out and any recommendations that arise will be considered, he added.

Meanwhile, Katie said she would be willing to take matters into her own hands again if flood water threatened to reach her home.

The Environment Agency said wetter winters were making the task of repairing flood defenses more difficult than ever.

Six of the 10 wettest winter half-terms (October to March) so far recorded in England and Wales have occurred in the 21st century.

Last winter, the UK was hit by six named storms. Among them, storms Bert and Connall caused severe flooding in England during November.

The Thames corridor suffered one of the biggest impacts of the last two winters. The Environment Agency says it has repaired many of the highest risk defenses, but many remain below required condition, the vast majority of which are maintained by third parties.

Professor Hannah Cloke OBE, a leading flood expert at the University of Reading, said the BBC’s findings needed to be seen in context as the data was “not perfect”.

“We have some percentages here, but that doesn’t tell us exactly what would happen if each of those flood defenses failed,” he said, pointing to the fact that a defense like the Thames Barrier was of greater importance than a parcel of natural high ground next to a small stream.

Likewise, some bumpers may be in good condition but may not have been designed effectively in the first place. Defenses built five years ago were already being overwhelmed by flooding, he said.

Professor Cloke said the government needed to invest in “catchment management” plans that limit the rate at which rainwater enters river systems.

These include planting trees or digging depressions and holes in the landscape, but are often hampered because a large proportion of river catchments are on private land.

“We can maintain our flood defences, we can try to protect property, but actually, if we can catch the rain where it falls, that can help a lot in terms of making sure the flood waters don’t run downstream,” he added.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “Protecting communities in England from the devastating impact of flooding is a top priority, which is more important than ever as climate change brings more extreme weather conditions.

“Each year we complete up to 165,000 flood asset inspections across the country and have recently redirected £108 million towards repairs and maintenance. This will help ensure the greatest protection for nearby communities.”