Land Drainage

Robert Neill
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Environment Agency spent on drainage on each local authority area in each of the last three years.

Mr. Woolas
The Environment Agency is responsible for managing flood risk from designated main rivers and the sea with local authorities (and, in low-lying areas, internal drainage boards) responsible for managing flood risk from other watercourses.

Local authorities, highway authorities and water and sewerage companies all have varying responsibilities for drainage of surface water.

I am unable to provide a breakdown of spend on flood risk management by local authority area without incurring disproportionate cost.