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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how often maintenance of flood defences is conducted in (a) Bothenhampton, (b) Bridport, (c) Maiden Newton, (d) Ryme Intrinseca, (e) Yetminster and (f) Chilfrome.

As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, a record £2.65 billion will be invested over two years in building, maintaining and repairing flood defences, better protecting 52,000 properties by March 2026. Around 1,000 projects will receive funding in 24/25 and 25/26.

The Environment Agency (EA) maintains a variety of flood defence assets which require differing levels of maintenance. These defences are maintained to ensure the standard of protection specified by the flood alleviation scheme. They are regularly inspected for signs of defects, with appropriate remedial action undertaken when necessary.

The EA maintains a flood alleviation scheme throughout Bridport and Maiden Newton to protect properties at risk of flooding. Yetminster has its own flood alleviation scheme, comprising of an embankment and walls with a series of flapped outfalls to manage surface water drainage.

Since 2016, the EA has invested in Property Flood Resilience measures that better prevent flooding to 12 properties.