Somerset urged to take flood risk seriously as new £6m defences planned for Taunton
Flood Action Week highlights the importance of preparation amid climate challenges
As Flood Action Week gets underway, Somerset residents are being urged to check their flood risk and prepare for the possibility of severe weather amid concerns that resources for flood prevention are under strain.
‘Check your flood risk and be prepared’
Caroline Douglass, Executive Director for Flood and Coastal Risk Management at the Environment Agency, said the week is about raising public awareness and helping people take simple practical steps.
“We know that around 6.3 million homes and businesses across the country are at risk from flooding” she said.
“We’re encouraging people to go on to gov.uk and check whether they are at risk sign up for flood warnings and make a plan for what to do should a flood occur”.
Caroline added that the Environment Agency maintains over 90,000 flood assets nationwide but that physical defences are only part of the picture.
“It’s not just about hard defences” she said. “Natural flood management property-level protection and signing up for flood warnings all make a real difference”.
‘Funding cuts and scarce resources’
However, Cllr Mike Stanton, Chair of the Somerset Rivers Authority, warned that the Environment Agency is “struggling” to keep up with demand.
“Their funding has been reduced so it’s just not possible for them to do absolutely everything that’s needed to keep everybody protected from flood risk” he said.
Mike said Somerset’s landscape presents unique challenges. “The Moors and Levels are a man-made landscape” he explained. “They’ve been drained to make them manageable but they were once marshland. However hard one tries sometimes they’re going to flood again”
While the Environment Agency “is usually there when needed during a crisis” Mike warned that limited national resources such as emergency pumps could lead to delays in future floods.
“Sooner or later there’s going to be a situation where there’s so much rainfall and flooding in so many parts of the country there aren’t enough pumps nationally” he said
He also noted growing frustration among landowners over delays in securing Environment Agency permissions, known as FRAPs, to carry out routine maintenance on watercourses.
“They’re perfectly proper restrictions” Mike said “but from a practical point of view at best they’re a nuisance and at worst they actually get in the way”.
Somerset flood defences: progress and challenges
Mike pointed to the Bridgewater Barrier as a “crucial” piece of flood defence work under construction but said the bigger challenge now is maintaining existing infrastructure.
“The pumps installed in the 1960s are wearing out. The Environment Agency has a programme to replace them but that has to be staged and paid for when the money’s available” he said
He welcomed national flood awareness campaigns but said public understanding must go further.
“There can never be enough public awareness” Mike said. “Schools campaigns are important because floods might happen only once in a generation — younger people don’t have a memory of them”.
£6m project to protect Taunton homes
Meanwhile Somerset Council has confirmed that work will continue on a £6 million flood alleviation project to protect homes and businesses in Taunton’s North Town.
The scheme — a partnership between the council, the Environment Agency, the Somerset Rivers Authority and Homes England — will see reinforced flood walls built along two stretches of the River Tone. The work will help protect more than 700 homes, key roads including Bridge Street and Station Road, and vital community buildings such as North Town Primary School and the Police Station.
Cllr Caroline Ellis, who represents the area, said: “This is vital protection for our residents and businesses in Taunton’s North Town. Over 700 families will have their homes better protected from flooding”
Local MP Gideon Amos added: “Another major flood event in Taunton is not a risk that should be countenanced. It’s great to see this important scheme happening”
Work on the new flood defences is expected to start in 2026, with the concrete flood wall designed to blend in with local housing and existing defences.