There has been widespread regional coverage in the Yorkshire Post, Hull Daily Mail, BBC Look North, BBC Radio Humberside and ITV 1 Yorkshire East of Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey’s visit to Hull yesterday, Thursday 16 May.
While in Hull, the Minister officially launched the Environment Agency’s Humber: Hull Frontage Flood Defence Improvements, a £42 million government funded project which will better protect 113,000 properties from tidal flooding. She met with key representatives from partner organisations, and was given a tour of the area by the Environment Agency.
The Yorkshire Post piece focused on the Environment Agency’s flood risk alert system in Hull, with the Minister quoted urging residents to sign up. During an interview with the paper she said the government would ‘not abandon cities like Hull, far from it.’
Environment Minister Dr Thérèse Coffey said:
I am pleased to be in Hull to launch the government-funded £42 million Humber: Hull Frontage Flood Defence Improvement scheme.
Flooding and coastal erosion can have awful consequences for people, businesses and the environment, which is why Defra has invested £153 million in improving flood defences in Hull and East Yorkshire since 2010. I look forward to seeing work continue to ensure coastal communities are better protected, not abandoned.
The scheme fits into the Humber Strategy, which will see over £150 million investment to reduce flood risk, with the aim to better protect 70,000 properties from tidal flooding around the Humber estuary by 2021.
Neil Longden, Flood Risk Manager at the Environment Agency, said:
We are thrilled that we are now on the ground and construction work has started on the Humber: Hull Frontage Flood Defence Improvement scheme.
It was a pleasure to show the Minister this important flood defence project and explain other flood alleviation work being done in the city and in East Yorkshire.
Nationally, the government has committed to spending £2.6 billion over six years, delivering more than 1,500 projects to better protect 300,000 homes. This is on top of £1 billion by 2020 to maintain flood defences.