Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total estimated cost of the works near Cowley Bridge to improve the resilience of the railway by removing three weirs from the River Exe, and what funding the Environment Agency is contributing to the works.

Network Rail has allocated £13.4million from the geo-environmental resilience programme. Their preferred option involves the removal of three weirs close to Stafford's bridge and Cowley bridge.

The Environment Agency are not providing financial assistance with the scheme, but support the scheme as it complements their Exeter Flood defence scheme and their general approach of returning rivers to their natural states.

Over the coming months, Network Rail will work with the Environment Agency to work out how they deliver the scheme collaboratively.