Image description: A silver car submerged in flood water. Photo by Wes Warren on Unsplash

More than 600 projects in England will be receiving a share of £1.4bn in government funding to “help protect tens of thousands of homes and businesses”.

The Environment Agency says that project plans span improved flood barriers and embankments to natural flood management schemes that slow the flow of water before it reaches communities and coastal flood defence projects that reduce the risk of flooding. The Environment Agency said it was “part of the largest flood programme in England’s history”, coming as part of the £10.5bn investment promised for the period of 2024 to 2036.

£260 million will be also allocated to repairing and maintaining Environment Agency flood defences, including those damaged by Storms Goretti and Chandra.

Ministers said that for every £1 invested in flood defences prevents around £8 in economic damage, meaning this investment alone is expected to shield the economy from more than £10 billion in losses. The Environment Agency, working with councils and other local Risk Management Authorities, will deliver the programme across England, scaling up the country’s resilience as extreme weather becomes more frequent.

The funding comes after the UK experienced prolonged dry conditions and droughts in 2025 followed by heavy rainfall and flooding at the start of 2026. Caroline Douglass, executive director for flood and coastal risk management at the Environment Agency, said the funding would allow them to “continue the work needed to protect communities from flooding”.