Environment Secretary admits 'much work is needed' as 570 Leicestershire homes flooded
"Much more work" is needed to protect homes according to the Environment Secretary after he visited flood-hit Leicestershire today. Record-breaking river levels led to widespread devastation across the county earlier this week, with the clear-up operation for many ongoing.
The damage led to Environment Secretary Steve Reed coming to Quorn - one of the many areas devastated by the floods - on Thursday afternoon (January 9). Mr Reed met with Environment Agency teams who have been working to protect properties, with around 570 thought to be affected across Leicestershire and Rutland.
The agency has been working with emergency services across both counties since the floods began, but Mr Reed admitted the Government needed to do more to better prevent repeat situations. He said: "My thoughts go out to all those homes, businesses and farms that have been flooded in recent days, including those in Leicestershire. There is much more work needed to be done to protect homes, including those in Quorn."
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Rising water levels had prompted the Environment Agency to issue a highly unusual severe flood warning on Monday night (January 6), leading to a danger to life warning on Tuesday morning (January 7) for the River Soar near Barrow upon Soar. The situation became so serious that residents of nearby caravan parks had to be evacuated.
The scale of disruption prompted East Midlands Ambulance Service to declare its first-ever critical incident, while Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service announced a major incident.
The Environment Agency said its proactive measures had successfully protected 2,034 properties from flooding locally. Across England, the agency said more than 76,000 properties have been safeguarded since New Year's Eve, while around 1,400 have been flooded.
However, Leicestershire has been widely affected by this week's heavy downpours. Significant river flooding has seen others in Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and Yorkshire also affected. Record-breaking river levels have been observed on the Mersey in Stockport and South Manchester.
During his visit, Mr Reed praised the "tireless work" of emergency services and first responders across the region. He said work was being done in an attempt to better secure properties across the country.
He said: "That is why we are investing £2.4 billion over the next two years to build and maintain flood defences, protecting homes and businesses across the country."
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