100 East Midlands homes benefit from flood resilience measures

The Environment Agency has helped to install property flood resilience measures in 100 homes across the East Midlands. 

Among the measures are flood resilient doors and barriers, self-closing air bricks, underfloor sump pumps, and self-closing non return valves on pipework and toilets. 

By equipping properties with these measures, the scheme aims to reduce the long‑term impacts of flooding on homes, livelihoods, and wellbeing. 

Multiple funding streams have contributed to the £1.6 million project, including funding from local authorities, Trent Regional Flood and Coastal Committee and the government’s Frequently Flooded Allowance. 

Homeowners were able to apply for grants following the flood impacts of Storms Babet in October 2023 and Storm Henk in January 2024. 

Jon Atkey, Environment Agency’s flood and coastal risk advisor for the East Midlands said: 

From the outset of this project we wanted to increase the resilience of the residents living in flood-hit communities.   

We did this by ensuring flood groups were established and had flood wardens in place, and by helping people understand their own flood risk and supporting them in putting in place place their own personal flood plans. 

We can’t always prevent flooding, but we can help people understand it, be better prepared and hopefully recover quicker. 

This project forms part of the Environment Agency’s wider commitment to strengthening flood resilience across the East Midlands.

The properties are located across the region: in Bradwell and Denby Bottles in Derbyshire; Girton, Collingham and Pleasley in Nottinghamshire;  and Redmile, Braunstone and Sileby in Leicestershire. 

News of the completed project comes as the Environment Agency launches Flood Action Week (w/c 12 October) to help protect the nation. The campaign urges people to check their flood risk, draft a flood plan, and sign up for flood warnings.