Flood Risk Management
Since the devastating floods of 2007 and the
subsequent Pitt Review, parliament introduced a new piece of
legislation. The Flood and Water Management Act 2010
implements a number of lessons identified in the Pitt Review
including that the “role of local authorities should be enhanced so
that they take on responsibility for leading the co-ordination of
flood risk management in their areas”. The Act provides for
this giving Bedford Borough Council the role of the Lead Local Flood Authority.
Alongside the Act, the Flood Risk
Regulations (2009) have been made to implement the EU Floods
Directive in England and Wales. These regulations require
Bedford Borough Council to produce a Preliminary Flood Risk
Assessment (PFRA) to identify areas of potential significant flood
risk. Click here for more
information.
The four main types of flooding found in the
UK are fluvial (river overtopping), pluvial (surface water flooding
from intense rainfall), tidal (coastal and estuarial flooding) and
groundwater (saturated conditions reaching the ground
surface). In reality, these types of flooding can occur in
combination.
To find out more, please follow the links on the left hand
side.