Written statement: Storm Chandra and ongoing flooding impacts - Feb 23

Minister for Water and Flooding (Emma Hardy): Storm Chandra brought heavy rain to the UK on Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 January. This was the seventh named storm overall to hit the UK so far for the 2025-26 storm season starting on 1 September. Storm Chandra closely followed Storm Ingrid, which brought heavy rain to Southern areas of the UK the previous week.

As of Sunday afternoon, 22 February, the Environment Agency reports that around 401 properties have flooded across England with 373 of these in Devon and Cornwall and Wessex EA areas with a further 28 in other parts of Hampshire, Herefordshire and Yorkshire. This is in addition to extensive farmland and some local infrastructure flooding. Approximately 24,500 properties have been protected by Environment Agency assets across all locations.
South-West impacts

The South-West of England has been particularly impacted and three severe flood warnings were issued in the initial days of the storm, indicating a risk to life. The SouthWest has seen nearly twice the long-term average rainfall so far this year. Records have been broken for water levels in rivers, groundwater levels, and amounts of rain falling in a day in many parts of the South-West.

A Major Incident was declared by Somerset Council on 27 January to support the coordinated response to flooding in the Somerset Levels and Moorland. This was only lifted on Wednesday 18 February, as the multi-agency efforts have stabilised the situation. The Environment Agency is following its Somerset Moors and Levels flood management plans, operating flood storage areas and pumps.

Before recess, I visited Somerset with the Right Honourable Member for Glastonbury and Somerton. I saw firsthand the impact of the flooding, with villages cut off by submerged roads and the strain this has placed on people's mental health. I met with a local farmer to see the impacts to his farmland and with the local internal drainage boards and Somerset Rivers Authority to hear their views.

Following my visit, the Environment Agency committed to reviewing the issues around water‑level management in Somerset once this incident has come to an end. It will work closely with the internal drainage boards and the local council as part of the wider recovery plan. That review will look at several important questions: when pumps should be activated, whether the current trigger points are right, and whether installing permanent pumps in certain locations could offer better value for money in the long term.

I want to again acknowledge the vital contributions of Somerset Council, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, the Police, Ambulance services, the members of the internal drainage boards and many others who have played essential roles in the multi‑agency response.

A number of properties on the seafront at Torcross were significantly impacted during Storm Chandra and the high spring tides of 2 and 18 February, with wave overtopping causing internal flooding and other damage, although the degree of impact varies between properties and in some cases is still being assessed. The Environment Agency is working with local partners to support the community and engage with the Right Honourable Member for South Devon.

Government action

Protecting communities around the country from flooding is a priority for this government. That is why we set up a Flood Resilience Taskforce to provide oversight of national and local flood resilience and preparedness ahead of and after the winter flood season. The Taskforce will be meeting again next month to review Winter preparedness and response.

The government is investing at least £10.5 billion over ten years to construct new flood schemes and repair existing defences, protecting communities from the impacts of climate change. Through the largest flood programme in history, this record investment will benefit nearly 900,000 properties.

In October, the government announced major changes to its flood funding policy to make it quicker and easier to deliver the right flood defences in the right places. This will increase investor confidence, close funding gaps, and reduce administrative burdens on local communities. The new rules, which take effect in April 2026, will optimise funding between building new flood defences and ongoing maintenance, capturing all damages avoided, including to agriculture, and ensure that deprived communities continue to receive vital investment. Projects will be prioritised by their benefit-to-cost ratios to drive value for money, and we are giving equal weighting to all the different types of benefits, such as agriculture and environmental damages.

The government is investing £91 million to support internal drainage boards to modernise and upgrade assets, recognising their essential work to manage water levels and reduce flood risk in rural communities. This funding has provided benefits to over 400,000 hectares of farmland and over 200,000 properties to date.

Under our Environmental Land Management schemes, we are funding actions to improve the environment and mitigate flood risk, through proactive actions in how we manage the land and water. These actions help make farmland more resilient to the effects of climate change, including reducing the impact of flooding by improving soil health, creating areas of water retention that protect more productive areas and slowing the flow across the landscape. In October 2025, the FloodReady report identified gaps and opportunities to grow the property flood resilience market, resulting in a new action plan for all relevant parties to take forward. The FloodReady Leadership group, now chaired by UK Finance, is taking forward the work with Defra and the Environment Agency leading on the recommendations for government. The Chair of the Leadership Group is now a member of the Flood Resilience Taskforce.

We are supporting communities to adapt to coastal change. In January, the government announced £30 million for coastal adaptation pilots over three years. This will deliver advanced adaptation in East Riding of Yorkshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, including selective property purchases or long-term financing solutions in areas where homes face imminent risk from erosion. It will support adaptation in other places facing coastal erosion across England, empowering communities to take practical steps, including moving community buildings away from at-risk areas, testing early warning systems for erosion events, and improving beach access and coastal tourism infrastructure.

Ongoing risk

Since Storm Chandra passed through, the situation has remained finely balanced, with numerous Met Office severe weather warnings issued over the South-West of England and elsewhere in the four weeks since the storm. Further rainfall has exacerbated flood risk in some areas and slowed recovery. Flood warnings have been removed from some areas in the South-West, but added in others, further east and along the south coast. Record groundwater levels combined with high river levels continue to risk flooding of properties and businesses in the South-West and elsewhere in the country.

Unsettled weather is set to continue into next month, with high groundwater levels meaning the risk of further flooding remains. High tides and strong winds may also bring tidal flood risk in some places during this period. Dozens of Environment Agency flood teams will continue to work across the country to respond to flooding and protect vulnerable communities.