FLOOD ravaged communities will get a huge funding boost of £5.2BILLION in today’s budget.
Entire towns were evacuated and homes underwater after a series of storms lashed the UK with biblical amounts of rain last month.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak will announce the package later today as part of his first financial package since Sajid Javid dramatically quit the position last month.
The extra money will come as a huge relief to the worst-hit communities, and the funding will bolster flood defences – many of which were destroyed by the catastrophic rain.
The flood package will mean the funding going to damaged and vulnerable areas will be doubled by 2024.
The investment will help to build 2,000 new flood and coastal defence schemes and protect 336,000 properties across England over the next six years.
Boris Johnson came under fire for not visiting the flood-damaged towns for more than three weeks – delegating duties to his Environment Secretary George Eustice.
The PM was heckled by residents in some of the worst-hit areas as he visited last week.
Residents told him their homes had been submerged in almost 2ft of water, and one angry local named Boris a “traitor”.
Others were happier to see him, saying: “we’re just glad to see him eventually”.
The PM said in flood-damaged Bewdley over the weekend: “My every sympathy is with the families and businesses suffering because of the recent floods – I am determined to help them get them back on their feet.
“I want to pay tribute to the tireless efforts of the Environment Agency and emergency services who are working to protect communities hit by the recent storms.
“We need to keep improving our protections against extreme weather, that is why we are investing £5.2 billion for flood defences to support communities up and down the country.”
