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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of flood defences in Earby.

May I pay tribute to the community of Earby and their fortitude following the terrible floods this Christmas.

We have been working closely with the local community and partners in Earby to investigate options for reducing the risk from all sources of flooding.

We have allocated £50,000 to this study.

The study will also update the flood map for Earby, improve flood warning and improve planning decisions.

In addition to this, the Environment Agency is carrying out £500k of work to repair and reduce the risk of blockage of the Victoria Clough culvert.