Ministers told ‘incompetence’ at Met Office led to underestimation of Storm Bert

Environment Secretary Steve Reed has been asked to reappraisal “incompetence” astatine the Met Office that led to a “clear underestimation” of the interaction of Storm Bert.

Labour MP for Cardiff West, Alex Barros-Curtis, said warnings should person been “amber oregon red”, arsenic Mr Reed told MPs that much flooding is “likely”.

Hundreds of homes were near nether water, roads were turned into rivers and winds of much than 80mph were recorded crossed parts of the UK.

More than 130 flood warnings and 160 alerts remained successful spot crossed the UK connected Monday.

In the Commons connected Monday, Mr Barros-Curtis asked: “Can I inquire that the Secretary of State talk to his Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) colleagues to cautiously look into the relation of the Met Office here?

“It is wide that their effect was dilatory and that determination was a wide underestimation of the interaction of Storm Bert.

“They enactment it yellowish alternatively than amber oregon red. Our constituents person been fto down by this incompetence before, and it cannot support happening.”

Mr Reed said: “In astir parts of the countries that were affected, warnings were fixed with capable clip for radical to hole and I would promote radical to motion up connected the Defra website, oregon the Environment Agency website for warnings and alerts if they unrecorded successful an country that could beryllium affected by flooding.

“I’m alert of the peculiar interest that helium mentions regarding the Met Office, and I volition so beryllium speaking to colleagues successful DSIT arsenic they reappraisal the circumstances of that and look astatine however the concern tin beryllium improved for aboriginal events of this kind.”

During his update to the House, the Environment Secretary said that much flooding this week is “likely” but its interaction “should beryllium little severe” than has been seen.

He said: “Around 28,000 properties are being protected by Environment Agency flood defences.

“Unfortunately, an estimated 107 properties person flooded crossed England, principally from stream and aboveground h2o flooding.”

He added: “The Environment Agency and section responders person besides been engaged protecting properties elsewhere successful England, including flooding from the River Teme successful Tenbury Wells wherever astir 40 properties person flooded.

“The stream has present peaked and section responders volition beryllium focusing connected the little reaches of rivers implicit the adjacent fewer days.”

He further stated: “Further flooding is sadly apt implicit the adjacent fewer days arsenic h2o levels emergence successful slower flowing rivers specified arsenic the Severn and the Ouse.

“The Environment Agency anticipates that immoderate impacts should beryllium little terrible than we person seen successful caller days.”

Mr Reed besides described the flood defences they inherited from the erstwhile authorities arsenic being “in the worst information connected grounds pursuing years of underinvestment”.

He added: “Over 3,000 of our cardinal flood defences are beneath an acceptable standard.

“That is wherefore we are investing £2.4 cardinal implicit the adjacent 2 years to physique and support flood defences.”

Elsewhere successful the session, Labour MP for Coventry South, Zarah Sultana, was among the MPs to telephone for a ineligible work connected occurrence services to respond to flooding.

She said: “I privation to explicit my solidarity and acknowledgment to each of our exigency services, including firefighters connected the beforehand line.

“Extreme upwind events are connected the emergence and becoming ever much predominant owed to clime change, highlighting the urgent request for due backing and resources.

“England is the lone portion of the UK without a statutory work for flooding, leaving occurrence services underfunded and under-resourced to respond effectively. This indispensable change, arsenic the FBU (Fire Brigades Union) has agelong called for.”

“When volition the Government yet supply a statutory work for Fire and Rescue authorities to respond to flooding incidents successful England?”

Mr Reed replied: “The occurrence and rescue authorities person the powers to intervene, but she’s rather close to constituent retired there’s not a duty, and officials successful my department, moving with the Home Office, volition reappraisal that to spot that that remains appropriate.”

Conservative MP for Mid Buckinghamshire Greg Smith said immoderate communities successful his constituency are flooding “for the archetypal clip successful decades” arsenic helium accused the Government of wanting to “concrete implicit the countryside”.

He said: “That is simply a effect of immoderate of the large infrastructure we are seeing being built, peculiarly HS2 wherever they volition factual implicit a tract completely, it seems, unaware that that volition person a knock-on effect to farmland adjacent door.

“So volition the Secretary of State perpetrate to moving with the Transport Secretary (Louise Haigh) and I besides suggest the Deputy Prime Minister (Angela Rayner) fixed their plans to factual implicit the countryside to guarantee that wherever operation takes spot proper, and I truly mean proper, flood mitigation measures are enactment into place.”

Mr Reed replied: “This needs to run crossed Government, and we volition person those conversations and guarantee that measures are enactment successful spot to enactment communities arsenic overmuch arsenic is imaginable from the much terrible upwind events that we’re seeing arsenic a effect of clime change.”