The Environment Agency has completed a �6.8m project to protect areas of Northamptonshire hardest hit by past flooding.

The new defences offer improved protection for the Far Cotton and St James areas.

Five people died in the Easter floods of 1998 in central and eastern England, and 2,500 area properties were damaged.

The defences include new and raised floodwalls and embankments, and development control measures in the floodplain.

Better warnings

The agency's other projects include land raising work at South Bridge East and South Bridge West, which will be completed by April 2003.

1998 flooding was caused by torrential rain

Improvements in flood warning and forecasting systems are also underway.

The Environment Agency came under fire for poor performance during the 1998 floods for failure to familiarise the public with warning systems.

Tests of sirens in the Far Cotton and St James areas take place next week in preparation for the agency's forthcoming Flood Season Awareness Campaign.