LOCAL MP Ellie Chowns has called on the government to put more effort into flood prevention following the latest deluges in Herefordshire.

The recently elected North Herefordshire Green MP, whose constituency includes the area north of Brampton Abbots, has written to water and flooding minister Emma Hardy demanding the government reverse recent funding cuts to local authorities to ensure they are resourced to regularly clear drains and prevent blockages, ‘which is such a crucial component of flood resilience,’ she said.

The government should also prioritise flood resilience in all aspects of urban and rural planning, incorporating this into the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

And it must invest in natural means of flood management in tandem with farmers, and include this in the upcoming budget, she wrote.

“The threat from flooding is sadly not going away, and I will continue to press the government for action to ensure our communities are resilient and safe in the face of future flooding,” Dr Chowns said.

She told the Commons: “Sadly this week my own constituency is subject to flooding, roads and schools are closed and soil is washing soil into roads and rivers,” and called for a debate in Parliament “on the crucial issue of flood prevention and action”.

“Farmers play a crucial role in flood prevention and mitigation and the Government should recognise that is should increase investment in natural flood management and nature-friendly farming initiatives.

“As climate change makes flooding more frequent and more severe, the Government must also show some long-term thinking and make flood resilience a key part of planning. I urge the Government to use the opportunity of its upcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill to do just that, by including specific measures for flood resilience.”

Leader of the House Lucy Powell MP said she was ‘sorry to hear of what’s happening in her constituency’ and had ‘already taken note of calls for a debate on flood resilience’.

Herefordshire councillors last week unanimously backed a motion put forward by Ross-on-Wye Liberal Democrat Ed O’Driscoll to prioritise mapping and fixing the county’s drainage networks.