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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many houses were damaged by flooding in each year since 2010.

The Environment Agency (EA) records properties (homes and businesses) affected by large flood events, through information provided during incidents, or through working with communities recovering from flooding. The EA does not distinguish between homes and businesses for large flood events. The table below provides the EA estimates for the number of properties flooded, but not necessarily damaged, during significant flood events since 2010.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities or Lead Local Flood Authorities may hold more detailed information for smaller scale events, and events where surface water was the major cause of flooding. Where Lead Local Flood Authorities hold more information, they publish this through Section 19 reports.

Between April 2015 and March 2021, the Government invested £2.6 billion in its first 6-year flood and coastal defence programme for England. This programme exceeded its target of better protecting 300,000 homes. The Government announced in 2020 that the amount invested in the 2021-2027 investment programme would be doubled in England to £5.2 billion, providing around 2,000 flood defences to better protect communities across England. Every English region is forecast to receive more investment in flood and coastal defences in this programme compared to the previous 2015 to 2021 investment programme.