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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the correlation between (1) the release of floodwater from the Jubilee River channel as occurred in 2014 and 2024, and (2) subsequent levels of floodwater and property damage, and the extent to which vulnerable local people were unable to receive social services.

The Jubilee Flood Relief Channel is part of the Maidenhead Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation Scheme (MWEFAS) that reduces the risk of flooding to approximately 3,000 properties in Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton. The Jubilee Flood Relief Channel always has some water flowing through it. In flood conditions, we split some of the water away from the River Thames through the Jubilee. The Jubilee provides extra space for this water before it rejoins the River Thames at Datchet. It is not designed to reduce flood risk to communities upstream or downstream of the scheme. It does not adversely impact communities downstream. We operate weir gates at Taplow to control the amount of water being split into the Jubilee Flood Relief Channel. As the flow in the River Thames increases, we open the gates gradually in small increments to allow water to flow through the channel.

The Environment Agency reviews the performance of their Flood and Coastal Risk Management assets to ensure they continue to perform as designed to protect homes and communities. Following flooding in 2003, river modelling was completed to re-examine any impacts from the Jubilee Flood Relief Channel on downstream communities. The results showed that there would be very little difference in the flows at Windsor, and the downstream water levels, with and without the Jubilee Flood Relief Channel being operated.

In February 2014 over 1000+ properties flooded internally across the Thames area, with the greatest numbers of these of these in the Lower Thames in Berkshire and Surrey. The flooding was very prolonged and lasted from February 2014 through to March, with many communities impacted along the Thames, such as at Datchet, Wraysbury, Egham, Chertsey, Staines and communities further downstream through Surrey. There were no reported properties flooded internally in Windsor in 2014.

In January 2024, Storm Henk resulted in heavy and widespread rainfall falling on saturated ground in a short space of time. There had been flooding in some local areas in December 2023 primarily affecting tributaries of the River Thames. The total volume of flow which passed down the Jubilee flood relief channel appears similar to 2014. The Environment Agency is currently receiving and collating reports on the number of properties that may have been impacted. Current information indicates around 300 properties may have flooded internally across the Thames Area.

Following a significant flood incident, the Environment Agency reviews all areas of incident response including partnership working to understand impacts and actions to better prepare for future events. We are currently undertaking this following the January 2024 flooding.

Our Environment Agency online portal Citizen Space holds a suite of useful information relating to the Jubilee River including videos and fact sheets and can be located under Maidenhead Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation Scheme.