A popular section of footpath, which is part of the Trans Pennine Trail, is re-opening after an upgrade to flood defences on Hull’s Victoria Dock Village western frontage.

The majority of the path will open this week so that people can walk along the estuary front from The Deep up to the corner at the Half Tide Basin. These improvements are part of the £42 million tidal flood defence scheme for Hull. The new defences will improve tidal flood protection for 113,000 homes and businesses.

Led by the Environment Agency, the Humber Hull Frontage scheme is upgrading seven kilometres of flood defences along the estuary frontage through the city of Hull.

This work is being carried out at eight locations including St Andrew’s Quay Retail Park, Victoria Pier and Victoria Dock Village. Work on the scheme is scheduled to be completed by Spring 2021.

Project manager Helen Tattersdale, from the Environment Agency, said:

To progress with our construction work, we had to temporarily close a section of the Trans Pennine Trail along the frontage promenade and divert pedestrians along South Bridge Road. We appreciate this has been inconvenient for local people and visitors and we’re delighted that we can re-open this popular route again.

Even though we are working hard to improve the flood defences to protect this area of Hull, we can never completely prevent flooding. I do urge residents and businesses to check they are signed up to our free flood warning service and look into the practical steps they can take to protect themselves by having their own flood plan.

Councillor Mike Thompson, portfolio holder for neighbourhoods, communities and environment at Hull City Council, said:

Since this area of the city underwent a significant amount of regeneration, it has seen a huge increase in footfall. As well as attracting visitors to the Marina and docks, it also forms part of the TransPennine Trail walking route.

Hull has strong links to the water and estuary but we obviously need to be aware of the challenges this brings, particularly relating to climate change. This scheme is just one of the many steps we can all take to reduce flood risk and become a resilient city.

Whilst making these significant improvements to flood protection for Hull, we want to increase awareness of this riverside walking route and make it attractive and enjoyable for residents and visitors alike.

In Victoria Dock Village – West, a new concrete flood defence wall has been constructed and flood gates have been installed at Camilla Close, Ocean Boulevard and Plimsoll Way.

Original paving stones have been used to re-lay the footpath. Glazed panels are due to be installed in some locations to ensure the new wall does not obscure views of The Humber. There is also some landscaping yet to take place.

There is a small section of footpath on the western edge of the Half Tide Basin which will remain closed in the short term. This is to allow the flood glass to be fitted into the flood defence wall when it is received from the manufacturer.

This critical work is essential to maintaining and improving Hull’s flood defences, and is being carried out in accordance with government guidelines for safe working due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Contractor BMM-JV (a joint venture between BAM Nuttall & Mott MacDonald) was employed by the Environment Agency to started at Victoria Dock Village in May 2019 The work is being carried out in two sections: Victoria Dock Village – West which extends from the Half Tide Basin towards The Deep and Victoria Dock Village – East which extends from the Half Tide Basin towards Corinthian Way.

All sections of the Humber Hull Frontages flood defence improvements scheme are expected to be completed in spring next year.

For more information on the scheme visit

Sign up to receive regular updates, email: humberhullfrontage@environment-agency.gov.uk Environment Agency flood schemes protected almost 130,000 properties during the winter 2019/20 flooding. However, there are 5.2 million homes and businesses in England at risk of flooding. The average cost of flooding to a home is £30k and the mental health-impacts long-lasting.

Today starts the Environment Agency’s Flood Action Week (9 – 15 November) – an annual flood awareness campaign aimed at providing essential advice about what people can do to better protect themselves.

Taking some simple steps to prepare and knowing what to do in a flood can not only save lives but significantly reduce the damages to a home and possessions by around 40 percent.

For more information and to download a template for a flood plan to protect your property visit

Negotiators carried out 46 sessions over two weeks, covering all areas of the proposed FTA, and bringing us closer to agreeing an ambitious FTA. Between round one and round two both sides shared 35 draft texts and 25 position papers, which enabled detailed and constructive talks.

The talks underscored both countries’ commitment to removing trade barriers and creating new opportunities for business, and a belief that a deep and dynamic agreement can send a clear signal to the world that both the UK and New Zealand are prepared to fight protectionism and advance free and fair trade.

There has been encouraging progress on numerous areas of common interest. In the area of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, both sides reaffirmed their ambition to agree a chapter that will enable these businesses to fully benefit from the FTA. Productive conversations were also held on trade and the environment and promoting clean growth, where both countries are working closely together to support sustainable outcomes across the agreement.

Discussions also demonstrated shared ambition in trade in services, particularly exploring opportunities for the recognition of professional qualifications, as well as exploring innovative provisions to promote sustainable finance and diversity in the financial services sector. Our negotiations on digital trade also underlined shared aspirations, and a mutual intent to agree a cutting-edge chapter.

The groundwork was laid for the exchange of initial goods market access offers as well as positive discussions in the areas of Rules of Origin and Customs on agreeing simple, modern customs procedures that consider current and future supply chains.

The UK and New Zealand are both keen to continue the momentum of discussions, and the third negotiating round is expected to take place in January 2021.

Below is a summary list of those areas discussed in the round, which continued to take place by video conference:

• Anti-Corruption
• Competition
• Consumer Protection
• Customs
• Digital trade
• State-to-State Dispute Settlement
• Environment and Clean Growth
• Financial Services
• Good Regulatory Practice
• Trade in Goods
• Indigenous Trade
• Intellectual Property
• Investment
• Labour
• Legal & Institutional
• Procurement
• Remedies
• Rules of Origin
• Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
• Services (including Cross Border Trade in Services, Professional Business Services, Transport and Delivery Services, and Movement of Natural Persons)
• Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
• State Owned Enterprises
• Technical Barriers to Trade
• Telecoms
• Trade and Women’s Economic Empowerment
• Trade for Development

Any deal the UK Government agrees will be fair and balanced and in the best interests of the whole of the UK. We remain committed to upholding our high environmental, labour, food safety and animal welfare standards in our trade agreement with New Zealand, as well as protecting the National Health Service (NHS).

Half of adults (49%) in England place more sentimental value on their homes this year compared to last year, but many people do not know that they may need to take action to protect their household memories from a flood.

According to new research commissioned for the Environment Agency’s Flood Action Campaign, homes have taken on a multitude of new purposes over the past year – from workplaces (35%) and classrooms (13%) to hair salons (29%) and gyms (39%). They have also become the setting for important memories for many people, including milestone birthdays (19%), starting a new job (13%), marriage proposals (9%) and learning a new skill (15%).

The research, released to coincide with Flood Action Week (9th – 15th November), highlights how flood damage could have an even more devastating impact on victims than usual this winter.

The findings showed that one in eight (12%) people have no idea whether they live in a flood risk area, meaning millions could be at risk of being caught out by a flood. This makes it more important than ever for everyone to check their flood risk online, and for those in flood risk areas to follow the Environment Agency’s Prepare. Act. Survive.’ plan to safeguard their treasured homes and possessions.

Caroline Douglass, Director of Incident Management & Resilience at the Environment Agency said:

“Our new research shows that our homes are more important to us than ever before, meaning that the impact of a flood this winter could be even more devastating.

“While the Environment Agency is doing everything we can to prepare for the winter, the climate emergency means that we are experiencing more extreme wet weather than ever before.

“Just as they will be aware of Covid 19 restrictions, we’re urging everyone to check whether they live in an area at risk from flooding and know the simple steps to remain prepared – such as moving possessions upstairs and preparing a grab bag with medicines and important documents. This will help reduce the damage and keep yourself and your family safe.”

As well as demonstrating how much people value the space they live in, the research also highlighted items which have the most sentimental value in their homes and could be lost forever in the event of a flood. Over a third (39%) have kept treasured items that had been given to them by a loved one no longer alive, with the most valued items including photos of loved ones (62%), sentimental jewellery (30%), keepsakes from children (29%) and sentimental ornaments (27%). To bring to life the impact a flood could have, the Environment Agency has created ‘The Waterlogue’ – a new creative film showing flood damaged items and telling the impactful and sentimental story behind possessions that are lost forever.

The Environment Agency has adopted Covid-safe ways of working in helping to protect people from flooding and are calling for people to be prepared this winter. Simple steps should be taken, such as checking if you live on an area at high risk of flooding, preparing a bag with medication and important documents and moving valuable and sentimental items upstairs or to a safe place. A combination of these actions can reduce the damage caused by a flood by around 40%.