§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many separate incidents of flooding were reported to his Department in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [149085]
§ Mr. MorleyI have been asked to reply.
There is no requirement for such reports to be made on a systematic basis. Flooding can result from many causes and range in severity from minor to major events. The flooding in Portsmouth in September 2000 resulted from exceptionally heavy rainfall and the breakdown of a sewage pumping station after being flooded. However, the extensive flooding in late 2000 resulted from an inability of watercourses to carry away floodwaters from saturated 537W catchments following the wettest autumn on record. A full report on this flooding is being prepared by the Environment Agency.