Penrith and The Border MP, Dr Neil Hudson, this morning questioned the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs about flooding at departmental questions in the House of Commons.
Dr Hudson asked:
“With adverse weather and flooding again affecting Cumbria and other areas in the North, will the Secretary of State join me in thanking everyone on the ground from the Environment Agency, Local Government, emergency services and volunteers at this time? Can he reassure me and my constituents in Penrith and The Border that the Environment Agency will continue to have the funding and support it needs to help protect and support communities vulnerable to flooding?”
Minster Rebecca Pow responded:
“I thank him for that, and he is right there is an amber warning in his area right now and we are keeping a very, very close eye on it. All of the systems are in place through the Environment Agency and I hope he will agree with me that it is a really professional service they give and thank them all for what they are doing and everyone in the area. What I would say is please can he ensure that his constituents are all involved in the alert systems and have all the warning available because it is really important to bring communities on board with us.”
Speaking afterwards, Dr Hudson added:
“Flooding is a constant worry for many of my constituents and I am reassured that Government takes this issue very seriously and has confirmed that DEFRA is monitoring the situation very closely. I would like to reiterate my thanks for everyone on the ground, I know my constituents are very grateful for all the hard work that is done to try to keep them safe. It is very important that constituents keep checking in with Environment Agency and local media information outlets to see the latest advice on flooding. With the proper mitigations and effective response, we can try reduce the adverse effects of flooding in our region.”
