Lessons from Yorkshire & Humber floods

In June 2007 and July some of the most devastating floods to have hit England and Wales since 1766 came to Yorkshire & the Humber. Edward McMillan-Scott called for EU aid - which has now been agreed at over £100M - and is working on a long-term solution.

Edward, a Vice-President of the Association of Drainage Authorities, has long believed that the UK's infrastructure has been poorly maintained. A series of recent reports on the floods have confirmed this, including the government's own by Sir Michael Pitt.

The background

Edward McMillan-Scott says: "The lack of coordination and long-term preparation for these emergencies is appalling. It is basically a failure of the infrastructure"

There are currently 6,000-8,000 sewer flooding incidents in England and Wales each year, about one-third of which are due to sewers reaching capacity and becoming overloaded;
Water companies currently only spend 1% of the total asset value in maintenance and upgrading—a relatively low replacement rate for infrastructure;
40 per cent of our internal drainage systems mix sewage and storm water in times of storm, causing considerable difficulties for constituents;
The capacity of below ground drainage systems in the UK is typically designed with a one-in-30 annual probability of overtopping. The probability for highways drainage is just one in five. As the recent floods crisis has shown, both above ground and below ground systems often cannot drain effectively into the rivers in times of storm;
The UK does not have as many storage facilities and sumps as many other European countries. Pipes and culverts collapse or are blocked. Ofwat has said that the water companies should spend £950 million to try to deal with those problems but only 0.1 per cent of the UK's sewer network is renewed each year. The assumption is that our sewers will last for 1,000 years - clearly they don't.

Improving infrastructure

In June 2007, the National Audit Office warned that not enough was being done to maintain the country's flood defences. The NAO said that the Environment Agency had failed to meet its target of maintaining 63 per cent of flood defences in peak condition, and that there were large regional differences in defence levels. The Environment Agency has since estimated that it would need an extra £150 million a year to bring all flood defence systems up to peak condition.

The agency have been heavily criticised by the UK's Public Accounts Committee for not doing enough to improve river and coastal flood defences and the North East – including Yorkshire – was losing out on investment to other regions such as the Midlands and the Thames area.

EU emergency aid finally agreed at £120M

On 20 August 2007, following considerable pressure from Conservative MEPs, the British Government formally applied to the European Commission's Solidarity Fund for money to help deal with the floods crisis. Flood Recovery Minister John Healey said the total cost of the flood damage was now estimated at £2.7bn. The EUSF donation has been put at about £120m.

This issue is timely as Ofwat will shortly consider final company business plans for spending and pricing for 2005-10. Mr McMillan-Scott is keen to make sure that it is not the consumer who will be forced to bear the brunt of a lack of government investment and is currently working with both the Association of Drainage Authorities (ADA) and the European Union of Water Management Associations (EUWMA) to investigate what can be done at the EU level to improve flood management.

Scarborough in EU coastal defence project

Scarborough is participating in an EU-wide examination of the risks from coastal erosion and the steps which need to be taken to prevent it, led by Cllr Godfrey Allanson.

Nine local authorities and agencies from the UK, Italy, France and Poland joined forces in the study under the title "Responding to the Risks from Climate Change in Coastal Zones."

The team has published a Good Practice Guide and Training Pack, which are available from Scarborough Borough Council's Head of Engineering and Harbours Services, Mr John Riby john.riby@scarborough.gov.uk

Other News

Edward McMillan-Scott near Doncaster during the summer floods
"At last reality is dawning on the UK that climate change has arrived with a vengeance. We should learn from world experience, but especially from our EU partners, just what needs to be done. I am deeply sorry for those who have suffered across Yorkshire & the Humber - and in many cases continue to suffer"
Govt to cut sea defences
Edward reacted with fury at news that the government is to cut funding for Britain's sea defences. He visited Scarborough on Friday November 9 to see how the resort would cope with the highest tide since 1953. But the Sunday Telegraph revealed on November 11 that the Environment Agency is to propose cuts which would affect low-lying parts of Yorkshire & Humber: "This is because almost all coastal constituencies have Conservative MPs. It is a scandal that should be highlighted at every opportunity" says Edward.
STORM RELIEF As Scarborough’s sea defences handled the highest tide since 1953 on November 9, Scarborough councillor Godfrey Allanson (l) shares relief with Shadow Floods Minister Ann McIntosh MP (Vale of York, C), Edward McMillan-Scott MEP (Yorkshire & Humber, C) and emergency workers. The MEP helped to secure millions in EU aid for the sea defences, including massive rock armour from Scandinavia.

EU Floods Directive in force

The new Directive on the Assessment and Management of Floods came into force on November 26. This follows a thorough examination of the situation across the EU.

In the UK, about 5 million people are held to be at risk from flooding and last summer's disaster caused damage estimated at about £4bn.

Edward McMillan-Scott is a critic of the pact between the government and the insurers, which permits development in flood plains in return for increased flood defences:

"This means those who pay insurance on the higher ground may be subsidising those on the flood plains. The whole system should be more transparent".