Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent persistent flooding in (a) Cookham and (b) Hurley.

Environment Agency (EA) teams are working with colleagues from Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council to improve knowledge and understanding of the flooding that has occurred during the last two years of higher-than-average rainfall.

The EA is engaging with residents and community groups around Cookham, as well as elsewhere in the borough, to improve the services it provides. EA teams have also been providing advice and guidance about flood resilience, as well as promoting the recently closed Flood Recovery Grants.

A study was completed during 2018-19 to look at possible options to mitigate flooding in Hurley. Unfortunately, at the time this study was completed it did not find an option that was financially viable.

Inspections of EA flood defences led to temporary works during December 2024, to reinstate a bank collapse on the Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation Scheme (MWEFAS) near Taplow. This repair enabled MWEFAS to remain operational this winter, ensuring 3000 properties still benefit from the defences which include flood gates, walls and embankments in the Cookham area. EA teams are now designing the permanent repairs to take place as soon as possible.