'Knock heads together' to sort flood defences - MP

The MP for Spelthorne has urged the government to "knock some heads together" over delays to the River Thames flood defence scheme.

The multi-million pound project, which is being delivered by the Environment Agency (EA) and Surrey County Council (SCC), involves building new relief channels alongside the river to reduce the risk of flooding between Egham in Surrey and Teddington in London.

Conservative Lincoln Jopp raised the issue in the Commons on Thursday in light of a recent spate of weather warnings across the county.

"Will the Secretary of State please get both the EA and SCC to say something about what is happening?" he asked.

An EA spokesperson said that it and SCC had made "significant progress" in developing the scheme, which aims to reduce the risk of flooding for 11,000 homes and 1,600 businesses in total.

However, Jopp claimed that progress had been "in abeyance - essentially, in mid-project review - since May last year" and that a status update should be provided.

Minister for Water and Flooding Emma Hardy told Jopp that she would be "glad to meet with him to discuss the more substantive and serious issue that he raises".

The EA spokesperson added: "Completing the mid-project review was an important step to confirm the scheme is on track and is providing best value for money for the taxpayer.

"We are now finalising plans to move from the review to the next major milestone: submitting our Development Consent Order application."

In December, new analysis found that thousands of flood defences meant to protect multiple homes or businesses in England were below the required condition when winter began.

Exclusive figures obtained by the BBC showed that, as of 20 October, almost 9% of the 98,000 defences inspected by the EA were below that condition.

A fifth of all the defences along the Thames corridor, which passes through parts of Surrey, were also failing to meet the required condition due to a mix of record rainfall and tidal storm surges.

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.