West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin today confirmed she has written to the Environment Agency to attempt to secure funding for permanent flood defences to protect Tenbury. The Government last week announced that £120 million of new funding had been allocated to flood defence projects. Half of that money will be used to speed up 50 existing projects and the rest will provide funding for brand-new schemes. Harriett has successfully lobbied for six schemes in her constituency costing nearly £9 million. The total budget for UK flood defences to 2014 now exceeds £2 billion. Since Tenbury Wells is built on a flood plain it continues to be at risk of flooding. Any scheme to protect the town is very expensive and will require at least £4 million of funding from a variety of sources. Harriett commented: “While other areas have been able to benefit from permanent defences, Tenbury residents are still having to live with the constant threat of flooding. “With this new money now made available, I have written to the Environment Agency to see if there is a way we can re-visit the Tenbury scheme, which is “shovel ready” with minimal further planning. “I have kept the pressure up to make sure Tenbury is not forgotten and this is an opportunity that we must make to attempt to find a long-term solution for the town.”