Ministers put 1.4bn pounds into flood defences in winter readiness drive
More than 600 projects across England will share the largest flood defence programme in the country's history, alongside a new Cabinet Office household campaign.
The Government has set out a winter resilience package centred on 1.4bn pounds of investment in flood defences in 2026/27, describing it as the largest flood defence programme in English history.
More than 600 flood defence projects are being delivered across England, with tens of thousands of households expected to benefit from better protection against flooding and coastal storms.
Keeping the country moving is the other half of the plan: more than 24bn pounds is committed to local road maintenance over the next four years, and 2.6bn pounds is going through Network Rail to climate-proof rail infrastructure. 33m pounds has already been spent in Durham and 41m pounds across the North West to stabilise embankments and protect against landslips.
Keeping people safe and our country moving is the first duty of government.Dan Jarvis, Security Minister
The announcement follows last winter's severe weather, including storms Goretti and Chandra. Officials are watching for a strong El Nino that could make late autumn and early winter wetter and stormier.
The Cabinet Office will also launch a national public awareness campaign later this autumn, giving households practical advice for everyday emergencies including extreme weather. The campaign was designed with more than 5,000 people and 400 partners, including councils, NHS England and the British Red Cross, and will bring Britain into line with almost every other European country.
On energy, network operators will be out doing essential maintenance ahead of winter: small jobs like removing branches and stationing engineers in at-risk areas can prevent big outages when storms strike. After Storm Amy, 99 per cent of electricity customers were reconnected within 24 hours.
Dan Jarvis, the Security Minister, said: "Keeping people safe and our country moving is the first duty of government." He added: "Alongside major upgrades to reinforce our flood defences and transport networks, our new household campaign will equip communities with practical guidance to prepare for extreme weather."
The new campaign will sit alongside long-running efforts including Flood Action Week and the Met Office's Weather Ready campaign. In late September, Jarvis visited Leicester to see community-led resilience work that helped shape the Government's approach.
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