Better flood protection target exceeded

Almost 62,000 homes and businesses have been better protected from flooding over the last two years as the Environment Agency today  (Wednesday  15 April)  confirmed it has exceeded its two-year property protection target by nearly 10,000.  

The government has invested £2.65 billion into flood defences since 2024, repairing and replacing existing defences and constructing new ones. With over 250 projects now completed, stronger protection has been delivered for over 60,000 properties across England – well above the original goal of 52,000.   

These new and improved defences have come online throughout the last two years and will help to prevent an estimated £10 billion in economic damage as they provide communities with better protection, restore pride in our towns and defend valuable farmland from being regularly flooded. 

Caroline Douglass, Executive Director of Floods and Coastal Risk Management at the Environment Agency, said:  

Flooding has a devastating impact on communities and will only worsen as our climate changes.   

Exceeding our target by nearly 10,000 properties reflects the tireless work of our teams and partners across the country to protect the communities they live in.   

With more than 600 projects being taken forward in the coming year, we will continue working to ensure vulnerable towns and cities get the protection they need.

Floods Minister Emma Hardy said:  

Flooding is life-changing - destroying homes, shutting down businesses and leaving communities facing months of heartbreak.  

This Government has invested a record £2.65 billion to repair flood defences and build new ones. After we inherited defences left in tatters, our investment is paying off, with almost 62,000 homes and businesses better protected from flooding and a further 840,000 properties on course to benefit by 2036.

Schemes completed since April 2024 and protecting towns and cities include:   

• Pevensey Bay sea defences project which has better protected 6,450 properties.
• Canvey Island Southern Shoreline Revetment Replacement which has better protected 6,432 properties.
• Saltfleet to Gibraltar Point Beach Management Scheme has better protected 5,808 properties. 
• Wyre Beach Management Scheme which has better protected 3,000 properties. 
• Lutton Leam Sluice Refurbishment project which has better protected 301 properties. 
• Fulbeck Pumping Station Refurbishment project which has better protected 200 properties. 

With more than 6 million properties in England at risk from flooding and extreme weather becoming more frequent due to climate change, exceeding the target is a major step forward in ensuring the nation is better prepared for the floods of the future.   

The urgency of this work was brought into sharp focus earlier this year, when the start of 2026 proved to be exceptionally wet.  A few hundred properties were sadly flooded and Environment Agency teams protected more than 24,000 properties. This demonstrates the vital role that well-maintained and well-invested flood defences play in keeping people safe.  

Every £1 invested in flood defences prevents around £8 in economic damage, saving billions of pounds in potential costs to households, businesses and the wider economy.  

The Environment Agency is helping to deliver the largest flood programme in history. At least £10.5 billion is being invested by the government up until  2036, helping to benefit around 840,000 properties. As part of this programme, over the coming year more than 600 projects will be funded to help protect tens of thousands of homes and businesses.   

The Environment Agency will continue to work at pace alongside its local partners, scaling up the nation’s defences against the growing threat of extreme weather and delivering the long-term protection that communities across England need.   

Notes to editors

Target figures   

• The target of 52,000 properties better protected was set for the two-year investment programme covering 2024/25 and 2025/26.  
• The total number of properties better protected through flood defences over this period is 61,898 — 9,898 above target.  

Regional breakdown 

• East Midlands - 7,420 properties better protected 
• East of England - 8,893 properties better protected
• London - 4,934 properties better protected
• North East - 1,007 properties better protected
• North West - 7,274 properties better protected
• South East - 19,116 properties better protected
• South West - 4,916 properties better protected
• West Midlands - 1,453 properties better protected
• Yorkshire and the Humber - 6,400 properties better protected
• Multiple - 485 properties better protected