The government has announced today (13 November) it will extend its Farming Recovery Fund to support farmers badly affected by the recent flooding across Yorkshire and the Midlands.

Through this scheme, farmers and land managers who have suffered uninsurable damage to their property will be able to apply for grants of between £500 and £25,000 to cover repair costs – whether that’s clearing debris or recovering damaged land.

This comes as Environment Agency teams continue to work around the clock in incident rooms and on the ground to reduce flood risk and keep communities safe.

Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers said:

My thoughts go out to all those affected by the devastating flooding across Yorkshire and the Midlands.

We are providing more funding to support farmers impacted and help local communities get back on their feet.

Earlier this week I visited Environment Agency teams on the ground in South Yorkshire as they work around the clock to reduce flooding risks and keep people safe.

I would like to pay tribute to the dedication of these staff, alongside our Emergency Services and Armed Forces, who are working day and night to protect our farmers, local communities and businesses.

Since the flooding began last Thursday, approximately 14,400 properties have been protected by flood defences, including nearly 5,000 properties in South Yorkshire alone. Over 300 Environment Agency staff are now on the ground in South Yorkshire supporting local communities affected.

Earlier this week the Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers visited Yorkshire to meet the EA teams working on the ground operating pumps, putting up temporary flood barriers and helping residents.

Yesterday the Prime Minister chaired a COBR briefing and this morning an additional 200 UK Armed Forces personnel were deployed to South Yorkshire to help support the recovery effort.

The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) yesterday announced a Community Recovery Grant to local councils – equivalent to £500 per eligible household – to help communities with their immediate recovery. This comes after MHCLG last week activated the emergency Bellwin Scheme to reimburse eligible local authorities for the qualifying immediate costs they incur as part of their response to the flooding.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) also confirmed yesterday that funding would be made available for a Business Recovery Grant which will provide up to £2,500 per eligible small and medium-sized businesses which have suffered severe impacts from the floods that cannot be recovered from insurance.

The Environment Agency (EA) is warning communities in south Yorkshire and Lincolnshire to remain vigilant as more heavy rain is expected on Thursday and Friday in areas already affected by flooding.

The EA is working hard to support local communities by putting up temporary barriers and taking sandbags to areas across South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, aided by the military.

Although river levels have fallen over the past few days, prolonged rain on Thursday, Friday and over the weekend could bring further river and surface water flooding to areas of South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the Midlands where the ground is already saturated.

300 EA staff are working 24/7 around the country deploying 39 pumps across five locations. In Fishlake, five ultra-high volume pumps are fully operational and pumping out 16 cubic metres of water per second. EA teams have now deployed more than 2,200 sandbags in affected areas.

Since the flooding began last Thursday, approximately 14,400 properties have been protected by flood defences, including nearly 5,000 properties in South Yorkshire alone. Flood storage areas are also being operated to protect 7,000 homes in parts of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.

As of 1pm (Wednesday 13 November) all severe flood warnings with a threat to life have been downgraded in South Yorkshire. Across the country, 34 Flood Warnings – meaning flooding is expected – and 75 Flood Alerts – meaning flooding is possible – remain live.

Kate Marks, Flood Duty Manager at the Environment Agency, said:

Heavy rain is expected on Thursday, Friday and over the weekend which could lead to further flooding for communities in South Yorkshire around the Lower River Don. Parts of Lincolnshire and the Midlands could also be affected by rain falling on already saturated ground over Thursday and Friday, as well as other parts of England as rain crosses the country from west to east.

It’s really important that impacted communities remain vigilant and take steps to prepare for flooding by checking their flood risk regularly and making plans to stay safe.

The Environment Agency has teams working around the clock on the ground erecting temporary barriers and delivering sandbags to areas expecting further rainfall.

Our incident rooms remain open 24 hours a day and we are continuing to work closely with local authorities and partners.

We advise people to stay away from swollen rivers and not to walk or drive through flood water as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car.

The public can check their flood risk and keep up to date with the latest situation and access advice on the Environment Agency’s flood warning service webpage, or by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or following @EnvAgency on Twitter.

The Environment Agency (EA), emergency responders and local authorities are helping to protect people and properties following the flooding in:

• Yorkshire
• Derbyshire
• Gloucestershire
• Nottinghamshire
• Lincolnshire
• Warwickshire
• Worcestershire

Teams have been continuing to pump floodwater out of affected areas and all properties in Fishlake are now free of flood water.

As of 5.30pm on Monday 25 November there are 4 flood warnings in place, meaning flooding is expected and 64 flood alerts, advising communities to be prepared as flooding is possible.

Around 22,000 properties have been protected by flood defences, including nearly 7,000 properties in Yorkshire.

What you need to do

Communities are urged to continue to:

How we are responding

Environment Agency teams continue to work around the clock to protect people and properties from flooding but, as the flood risk reduces, the focus is increasingly moving to assisting the recovery of affected communities.

Teams are continuing to pump floodwater out of affected areas so those communities can get into their homes as soon as possible. Our staff are now working with local authorities to support community recovery.

Environment Agency engineers are also inspecting flood defences for sign of any damage during the flooding and repairing any damage. Specialist teams are flying aeroplanes with ‘LIDAR’ (Light Detection and Ranging) technology to scan and map the affected areas. These surveys allow staff to identify the impact on defences before carrying out manual inspections.

While the flood risk is reducing across most of the country, with so much water remaining in river catchments, rivers are expected to respond quickly to any future rainfall. There may be ongoing minor river flooding impacts this week.

Around 22,000 properties have been protected by flood defences in England, since the flooding began, including nearly 7,000 properties in Yorkshire alone. Other areas protected include:

• 5,713 properties in the West Midlands
• 1,000 properties in the East Midlands
• 2,230 properties in Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire
• 5,202 properties in the Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire

Chris Wilding, Flood Duty Manager at the Environment Agency, said:

Heavy rainfall may lead to surface water and river flooding across parts of north-eastern, central and southern England on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. This is due to showers falling on already wet ground.

High tides, with large waves and spray in places, may lead to localised flooding along parts of the south coast of England on Tuesday evening and into Wednesday morning, and along parts of the east coast from Wednesday to Friday.

EA teams are out on the ground checking flood defences and clearing drainage channels to help reduce flood risk over the coming days. We urge people to stay safe on the coast and to avoid driving through flood water as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car.

You can check your flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation at https://www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk, call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or follow @EnvAgency on Twitter for the latest flood updates.

Read the latest news and advice from the EA.

Cross-government support – announcements

Households and business owners significantly affected by recent flooding will have immediate relief on their council tax and business rates, the Prime Minister announced (Friday 15 November).

The measure was announced following the first meeting of the cross-Whitehall Flood Recovery Taskforce on Friday, chaired by Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick to support communities as they respond to this serious emergency.

Under the measures, households and businesses which have been intensely affected by the flooding will be eligible for 100% relief on their council tax and business rates for at least the next three months.

The government has also today (19 November) announced that flood-hit homes and businesses will be able to receive up to £5,000 to help protect them from future flooding. The grants, which will be made available through local authorities from the end of November onwards, will help homes and businesses to become more resilient to flooding by helping to pay for a range of property improvements.

For more information about how the government is supporting communities and business affected by the recent severe flooding visit the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government webpage.

Sign up for flood warnings and latest flood updates

Check for flood warnings and find out if you are at risk of flooding

Sign up for flood warnings

Follow @EnvAgency on Twitter for the latest flood updates

The United Kingdom welcomes Bosnia and Herzegovina’s commitment to promote and protect human rights, and commends the decision to abolish the death penalty in Republika Srpska. We welcome Bosnia and Herzegovina’s progress tackling conflict related sexual violence, in particular its work on de-stigmatisation and rehousing displaced persons in permanent accommodation. We also welcome the celebration of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s first Pride march in September.

However, we are concerned about political disenfranchisement, the slowdown of judicial processing of war crimes, and the potential erosion of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

We recommend that Bosnia and Herzegovina:

1) Adopt electoral law amendments to ensure the political participation of all citizens at all levels of governance, regardless of ethnic origin, in line with the European Court of Human Rights and domestic court judgments, including allowing elections in Mostar.

2) Ensure survivors of conflict have access to justice by adopting and implementing a National War Crimes Processing Strategy and by meeting the needs of the most vulnerable displaced persons and refugees.

3) Ensure humane and lawful conditions of detention and accommodation of migrants, including by implementing appropriate procedures, oversight mechanisms and effective coordination within government, especially to prevent the trafficking and abuse of women and girls.

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