ENVIRONMENT
Fewer homes can expect protection from floods
A report says the Environment Agency has cut 500 of the 2,000 new flood defence projects that were originally planned
A report from the National Audit Office said that inflation has had a significant impact on project costs
ALAMY
The Environment Agency has slashed the number of homes it expects to protect from flooding over the next five years as higher costs have forced it to scale back projects.
The agency had pledged that its six-year flood and coastal erosion programme would protect 336,000 properties from the risk of flooding by 2027. But in a new report the National Audit Office (NAO) has revealed this number will be cut by 40 per cent to just 200,000.
The NAO said the agency had removed 500 of the 2,000 new flood defence projects that were originally included in the programme, despite the government doubling its capital funding in England in the six years to 2027 to £5.2 billion.
Living with flooding
The report also said that the agency was
