Nottinghamshire people asked for views on county flood defences

Nottinghamshire people living in areas vulnerable to flooding are being asked to give their views on future plans.
The County Council is producing a new strategy in its role as lead local flood authority.
The position means the council is duty-bound to manage and co-ordinate any local flood risk operations.
Consultation on the draft ‘Local Flood Risk Management Strategy’ is now open and runs until March 31.
Local flood risk means flooding form surface water, ground water and smaller water courses.
Main river watercourses are the responsibility of the Environment Agency.
The consultation follows a trail of destruction caused by Storm Desmond across the north of England during December, beginning in Cumbria before entering Lancashire and Yorkshire, with an estimated 16,000 homes underwater at one stage.
Since 2007, the council has spent around £600,000 each year on flood risk management and has carried out extensive works in the hope that Nottinghamshire doesn’t fall foul of similar floods in the future.
This is in addition to £1.3m a year it spends on land drainage, gulley emptying and drainage repairs.
In a statement the authority said: “The draft strategy identifies five key objectives of the flood risk management services in Nottinghamshire, in partnership with other risk management bodies and an action plan to achieve them.
“The document also identifies at-risk locations across the county and prioritises such areas, with proposed action plans for them, as well as ways in which the Council can work with communities to improve resilience.”
The draft Strategy, associated appendices and the accompanying Strategic Environmental Assessment are available to view and download from the County Council website.
Comments and views on the Strategy can be made by letter, on-line form or by phone.