New pumps could be installed to protect flood-hit area

A review is under way to decide if installing pumps all year round will help prevent future floods in Somerset.

Declaring a major incident almost three weeks ago, Somerset Council has been supporting residents after their homes flooded and rising water levels has made several key routes impassable.

During a debate in Westminster on Wednesday, flooding minister Emma Hardy said the Environment Agency (EA) will review its response to the floods experienced in the county during Storm Chandra in January.

It comes as the EA continues to warn residents to prepare for flooding as a number of warnings remain in place across the county.

Hardy said: "The review will look at several important questions: when pumps should be activated, whether the current trigger points are right and whether permanent pumps in certain locations could present better value for money in the long term."

Speaking at the debate, Somerton and Glastonbury MP Sarah Dyke said the government should focus on better protecting communities and help them be more resilient in the future.

"Building flood resilient communities is desperately important and it must be a priority because these events are getting more frequent and more serious," she added.

Henk Ovink, who is a Dutch special envoy for international water affairs and has worked with President Obama to help the rebuilding efforts in the US after Hurricane Sandy, told BBC Radio Somerset governments should prepare for flooding 50-100 years in advance.

"It all has to do with climate change. Those impacts are already there so preparedness needs to come first," Ovink said.

"It sounds a bit weird when you're in the middle of the floods, thinking about the next 50 years," he said.

"But everything we put in place for our community now is an incremental step for preparedness for even worse events in the future," he added.

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