Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many roads were closed during flooding in (a) Bedfordshire, (b) the East of England and (c) nationally in (i) 2024 and (ii) the latest period for which data is available.

The Department recognises the profound importance of our country’s road network in moving people, goods, and services around the country. The impact of closing roads will vary greatly depending on the roads in question and on the scale and severity of the flooding.

The Government does not keep centralised lists of local road closures during periods of severe weather and flooding, either in Bedfordshire or nationally. These are matters for local highway authorities.

Bedford Council and Central Bedfordshire Council, as the relevant local highway authorities for Bedfordshire, are responsible for the management of their respective local networks, including making operational network decisions in the event of severe weather events including flooding.

On a national basis, management of the English highway network is the responsibility of over 150 highway authorities, who make operational decisions based on the scope and severity of severe weather affecting their area.