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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to tackle the causes of repeated flooding of Hastings town centre by Southern Water.

The kind of surface water flooding that Hastings experienced in 2023 generally occurs after extreme rainfall when water cannot immediately drain away or soak into the ground. It can happen very quickly, be difficult to predict and can be exacerbated by impermeable built environment and overwhelmed drainage capacity.

The responsibility for local flood risk management falls to lead local flood authorities (LLFA), in collaboration with water companies. The Government’s Flood Resilience Taskforce will deliver flood defences, drainage systems and natural flood management schemes. In addition, our Water Bill will put water companies under tough special measures where they do not meet performance expectations, by strengthening regulation as a first legislative step towards improving the sector.

When a flood occurs, LLFAs investigate which risk management authorities have relevant flood risk management functions and whether they have exercised those functions.