Met Office warns of very wet winter as flood defences strengthened in Essex

The Environment Secretary is improving flood defences in places like Cockett Wick
-Credit: (Image: EA/DEFRA)


The Met Office has warned of a wetter-than-average winter this year, which has led the Environment Secretary to prepare for emergency responses to protect thousands of homes and businesses in Essex. With flooding expected, a government taskforce has made strides in protecting Essex, plunging £12 million into improving flood defences, such as the Cockett Wick seawall in Clacton.

The autumn months are expected to be wetter than usual, and many areas have already seen 100 per cent of their average September rainfall, the Met Office said. A total of 5.5 million properties in England are at risk from flooding and the country has just experienced the wettest 18 months on record, to February 2024, following extreme weather including Storms Babet and Ciaran, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.

A new Floods Resilience Taskforce met on Thursday to discuss how to speed up and coordinate flooding preparation and resilience between central government, local authorities and community responders, and emergency services.

READ MORE: Man rushed to hospital with serious injury after fight breaks out in Essex town

READ MORE: Millions set to receive National Living Wage pay riseThe task force brought together Environment Secretary Steve Reed, floods minister Emma Hardy, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Home Office, Cabinet Office, the Environment Agency, the Met Office, local resilience forums, mayoral offices, emergency responders and the National Farmers Union.

Mr Reed said: “Flooding devastates communities and businesses across the country. For far too long the delivery of flood schemes has been too slow and left communities underwater.

“That is why the new Government is acting now to speed up the building of flood defences and bolster our emergency response.”

Ms Hardy said: “The climate crisis is the greatest global challenge we currently face, and as an eyewitness to extreme flooding myself, I know the devastating impact these events can have on our livelihoods.

Cockett Wick seawall protecting homes from tidal flooding
Cockett Wick seawall protecting homes from tidal flooding -Credit:EA/DEFRA

“As chair of the Floods Resilience Taskforce, I will work closely with our partners to ensure projects remain on track and not only protect homes but create more green jobs and drive investment in our towns.”

Environment Agency teams have been prioritising the construction, maintenance and repair of key flood defences – including the Cockett Wick seawall in Essex, which will ensure 3,000 homes and businesses are protected better after a £12 million investment, Defra said.

Caroline Douglass, executive director for flood and coastal risk management at the Environment Agency, said: “Protecting people and communities is our top priority, which will only become more pressing as climate change brings more extreme weather and rising sea levels.”

The taskforce’s next steps will include: Continuing to monitor areas showing sensitivity to rainfall and how they recover ahead of the winter flood season; identifying how government, emergency services and local resilience forums can better share lessons learnt from recent flooding events, with the introduction of best practice guidance to be considered; and assessing how public awareness of the role and benefits of flood warnings can be improved.

The next meeting of the taskforce will take place in early 2025 and will discuss longer-term oversight of wider flood resilience strategy and investment, as well as any learnings on the response to major flooding.

READ MORE: Nominate your favourite beach to be crowned the best in Essex