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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of flooding on sewage overflows.

The recent heavy and intense rainfall has shown how storms can overwhelm both drainage and sewerage networks leading to sewage overflows and / or to flooding of roads and properties. To improve the future capacity of the sewer network the Environment Agency, Water UK and Ofwat have worked with risk management authorities to inform water company Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans. These plans will help improve resilience to surface water and drainage flood risks and play an important part in eliminating harm from storm overflows.