The largest flooding programme in history will be announced by government this week, with a record £7.9bn committed over 10 years to protect hundreds of thousands of homes, small businesses and vital infrastructure from the growing threat of flooding.

From high-performance flood barriers to nature-based solutions such as wetland restoration, the programme will deliver long-term protection for communities and strengthen local economies.

This comes as the government gears up to announcing its Infrastructure Strategy later this week – a targeted, long-term plan to invest in Britain.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) says the funding package is largest flooding programme in history.

Environment secretary, Steve Reed, said: “Protecting citizens is the first duty of any government. Yet we inherited crumbling flood defences in their worst condition on record – exposing thousands of homes.

“Under the Plan for Change, this Government is taking urgent action with the largest flooding programme in our country’s history. We will leave no stone unturned to protect our citizens.” 

Philip Duffy, chief executive at the Environment Agency, added: “As our changing climate continues to bring more extreme weather to the nation, it’s never been more vital to invest in new flood defences and repair our existing assets.

“This long-term investment will be welcome news for businesses and homeowners, who have too often faced the destructive nature of flooding. Our priority will continue to be working with the government and local authorities to ensure as many properties are protected as possible.”

The investment will also continue the government’s plans to protect cities and towns from the devastating impacts of floodings, including from Oxford to Portsmouth and up to Derby and Blackpool.

In last week’s Spending Review, the government also confirmed £4.2bn will be spent on the flooding programme over the next three years (2026/7 to 2028/9), which will be focused on both capital and resources such as building new defences and repairing and maintaining existing ones.

Alongside this, the government launched a consultation on new proposals to introduce a simplified, more transparent approach to bid for government funding for flood defences. This will benefit councils that have less resource to commit to the application process and will ensure money is distributed more effectively across the country.