A conference to mark the 50th anniversary of the disastrous floods of 1953 is being held in Norwich.

The floods, which devastated the east coast of England, killed 307 people and damaged 24,000 homes.

The flooding saw 58 deaths in Canvey Island, Essex, while 39 people died in Felixstowe, Suffolk.

The conference, organised by the Environment Agency, will look at the cause of the flooding and ask whether this type of flooding could happen again.

'Manage risk'

Paul Woodcock, the agency's Anglian regional director, said: "Understandably, people want to know if this is likely to happen again.

"People are much better protected today, but we should not be complacent.

"We can manage risk, but we can never eliminate it."

The conference is taking place on Thursday.

The 1953 disaster was caused by a combination of a strong storm surge and an unusually high tide.