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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Flooding 'action plan' promised | Flooding 'action plan' promised |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A "prioritised action plan" to improve flood protection will be published in the autumn, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has said. | A "prioritised action plan" to improve flood protection will be published in the autumn, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has said. |
| He was responding to an official review by Sir Michael Pitt into last summer's devastating floods. | He was responding to an official review by Sir Michael Pitt into last summer's devastating floods. |
| Mr Benn said £5m would be spent on surface water management, £1m on making reservoirs safer and £250,000 on a nationwide flood response exercise. | Mr Benn said £5m would be spent on surface water management, £1m on making reservoirs safer and £250,000 on a nationwide flood response exercise. |
| An "opt-out" telephone flood warning system will also be set up. | An "opt-out" telephone flood warning system will also be set up. |
| Anyone living in a flood-prone area, apart from those who are ex-directory, will automatically be signed up for notification by the Environment Agency. | Anyone living in a flood-prone area, apart from those who are ex-directory, will automatically be signed up for notification by the Environment Agency. |
| Mr Benn said: "We can never eliminate the risk of flooding, particularly as climate change takes hold, but all of us - government, water and electricity providers, local councils and individuals - must take flood risk seriously and be as prepared as we can be deal to with it." | Mr Benn said: "We can never eliminate the risk of flooding, particularly as climate change takes hold, but all of us - government, water and electricity providers, local councils and individuals - must take flood risk seriously and be as prepared as we can be deal to with it." |
| The 2007 deluge left 13 dead and 44,600 homes flooded. Nearly 5,000 people have still not returned to their homes. | The 2007 deluge left 13 dead and 44,600 homes flooded. Nearly 5,000 people have still not returned to their homes. |
| Yorkshire and the Midlands were among the worst hit last year, and the Humber and south-west England were also severely affected. READ THE PITT REVIEW class="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/25_06_08_floods_summary.pdf">Foreword and Executive Summary [1.98MB] Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader href="http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html">Download the reader here The BBC is not responsible for external internet sites | |
| Long-term plan | Long-term plan |
| Sir Michael said "urgent and fundamental changes" were needed to improve flood defences, along with a longer-term, 25-year plan to tackle the issue. | |
| He said it was "unacceptable" that so many homes lost power and water last year and utility companies must do more to safeguard supplies. | He said it was "unacceptable" that so many homes lost power and water last year and utility companies must do more to safeguard supplies. |
| Mr Benn told the Commons the electricity industry had identified just over 1,000 grid and primary sites which were in flood zones, and was now working with the Environment Agency to see which might need additional protection. | Mr Benn told the Commons the electricity industry had identified just over 1,000 grid and primary sites which were in flood zones, and was now working with the Environment Agency to see which might need additional protection. |
| Overall, the government has allocated £34.5m to implement the recommendations of the Pitt Review. | Overall, the government has allocated £34.5m to implement the recommendations of the Pitt Review. |
| The secretary of state said he would produce an outline for the "national flood emergency framework" by the end of next month and a draft Floods and Water Bill would be brought forward in the next parliamentary session FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME | |
| More from Today programmeTackling the rising flood threat | |
| But shadow environment secretary Peter Ainsworth complained that previous warnings had been "largely ignored" by ministers and "more dithering" would simply not do. | But shadow environment secretary Peter Ainsworth complained that previous warnings had been "largely ignored" by ministers and "more dithering" would simply not do. |
| "Sir Michael's interim report said that the floods were a wake-up call, but having made a bit of progress on some of the recommendations, somebody seems to have hit the snooze button," Mr Ainsworth said. | "Sir Michael's interim report said that the floods were a wake-up call, but having made a bit of progress on some of the recommendations, somebody seems to have hit the snooze button," Mr Ainsworth said. |
| "Is it not the case that vital infrastructure is as vulnerable today as it was a year ago?" | "Is it not the case that vital infrastructure is as vulnerable today as it was a year ago?" |
| Mr Benn's action plan applies specifically to England, although Sir Michael stressed the need for UK-wide preparedness in his report. | |
| Floods Bill | |
| The Environment Agency's chief executive Paul Leinster welcomed Sir Michael's recommendation - and Mr Benn's vow - to give it overall strategic control of flood planning. | |
| But he said: "We now need the Floods Bill to give us the proper tools and legislation to finish the job." | |
| Sir Michael also recommended that each local authority be explicitly given control of flood management in their area. | |
| Carl Minns, leader of Hull City Council, said he would welcome that opportunity.HAVE YOUR SAYThe effects of flooding can be mitigated by proper flood risk management. But who will do this? Xavier, UK Send us your comments | |
| "What we saw last summer were the unintended consequences of water privatisation almost 20 years ago, with different agencies responsible for different areas of surface drainage," he said. | |
| "No-one was legally responsible for holding that together." | |
| Mr Minns said a targeted study should be carried out by each authority because "every area flooded for very different reasons". | |
| Sir Michael said the Environment Agency should work more closely with the Met Office to produce more accurate flood forecasts. | |
| John Harmer, from the Met Office, said it was introducing "a new package of science" which would better predict where the heaviest bursts of rain would fall. |