Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure flood resilience infrastructure is regularly (a) tested and (b) maintained.

The Environment Agency operates and maintains assets for flood and coastal risk management purposes with a value of £26 billion. These assets reduce the risk of flooding to 1.8 million households in England and provide an estimated reduction in annual average flood damages of £2.8 billion. In 2022/23 the Environment Agency is planning to spend £200m maintaining flood risk assets.

The Environment Agency routinely inspect 240,000 of its own and other Risk Management Authority assets, with 175,000 assets inspected annually and others every 18 to 60 months depending on their flood risk classification. These inspections monitor the condition of assets, risk to public safety and ensure legal compliance. Asset repairs identified through inspection are prioritised to minimise potential flood risk. Where there is immediate danger of flood or risk to life, emergency repairs will be undertaken straight away. The Environment Agency also work with 3rd party asset owners to ensure the condition of their assets is understood and that repairs are undertaken as necessary.

Environment Agency maintained flood and coastal risk management assets, such as access bridges, reservoirs, significant structures and gauging stations have regular specialist inspections and are regularly tested for correct operation.

Details of the EA’s Asset Information and Maintenance Programme can be found on DATA.GOV.UK.