Details of Government plans to assist individuals and businesses to better protect their property from the impacts of flooding have been outlined by the Environment Secretary today.

Visiting a flood affected neighbourhood in Leeds today, Hilary Benn saw first hand how the impacts of flooding on homes and businesses can be reduced by using a range of methods that help to keep flood water out of your home, and also reduce damage if water enters a property.

Under new plans the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will commit £125,000 to the development of an interactive website and phone line service in conjunction with the Environment Agency. This will provide individuals and businesses with the advice and information they need to protect their homes and premises from flooding. Proposals to provide a Government grant to help people bear some of the costs involved with implementing such measures, for example through a free home flood survey, will also form the basis of a public consultation in a few weeks time.

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Mr Benn said: "Following the events of last summer, people are rightly concerned about how they can protect themselves from future flooding. There is much that can be done to lessen the impact of flooding on both residential and business properties, if people have the right advice and help to do this. Doing so can also help to improve the terms of your insurance. The forthcoming website and the proposed grant scheme will go some way in ensuring that people are supported to make the right choices for their properties.

"Research we are publishing today reveals that only one-third of at-risk households who have been flooded in the past have taken any steps to reduce the impact of flooding on their property or possessions, and less than one-in-ten of at-risk households who have not been flooded have taken steps to protect themselves.

"Government has invested more than £5 billion in flood and coastal erosion risk management over the past 12 years and will invest more than £800 million per year by 2010/11, but as Sir Michael Pitt said in his interim report people must also play a part in ensuring they are protecting themselves from the risk of flooding. The overall finding from our resilience pilots is that much can be achieved if we can help people to help themselves."

Last year six areas in England were selected to take part in Defra's flood resilience pilot funding scheme, which provided practical measures for a range of different properties and flooding issues. The Department committed a total of £500,000 to these schemes, which are now complete. Today Mr Benn is visiting the site of one of these pilots at the Dunhill Estate in Halton, Leeds.

(CD/JM)