Calls made for more cash to help protect Lincolnshire from flooding

Lincolnshire's Flood Authority say they need more funding to enhance flood defences across the county.

They're also calling for powers that would allow them to enforce recommendations to ensure flood assets like pumps are being improved

It comes as around 850 properties suffered from flooding inside over recent months - a report has also recently found that part of the local flood alleviation scheme in Horncastle did not work as it was meant to.

County Councillor Colin Davie said: "The government is going to have to spend more. They can't tell us every day that climate change is real and that all these horrible things are going to happen to us, and then not provide the necessary funding to enable communities to feel safer than they do today."

Councillor Davie also wants the Lincolnshire Flood Authority to have more power when it comes to tackling flooding: "When the government made us the lead local flood authority, they didn't give us any powers to enforce our recommendations. I think it is something the government should do because that way we can make everyone deliver and work better."

The Environment Agency said the extreme weather that hit Horncastle was to blame and not the delay in the closure of the sluice gate.

In a statement, The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "“We recognise the threat from climate change and rising sea levels, which is why we are investing a record £5.2 billion over six years in flood and coastal erosion schemes to better protect properties across England.

“Since 2015, we have protected over 400,000 hectares of agricultural land from the impacts of flooding. We have also set out a clear five-year adaptation plan to increase the country’s resilience to the effects of climate change and protect people, homes and businesses against risks such as flooding, drought and heatwaves.”