Environment Agency 2 February 2016 ‘The Environment Agency has carried out 16,000 inspections and identified around 660 flood defences needing repair work in the wake of record-breaking wet weather in December.  The ongoing work to assess and repair flood damage following Storm Desmond and Storm Eva will be outlined at an open Board meeting chaired by Acting Chairman Emma Howard Boyd. Heavy rain throughout December led to it becoming the wettest month on record, with 14 rivers across the north recording their highest ever flows. Almost 200 Environment Agency river level gauges recorded their highest ever river level, 10 per cent of the total across England.  Honister Pass in Cumbria saw the highest amount of rainfall ever in a 24-hour period, as more than 341mm fell.

Environment Agency flood defences protected 12,500 properties during Storm Desmond and 10,900 during Storm Eva but more than 20,000 properties flooded as a result of the extreme weather.’ To read more click here.