land recovery earns environment agency flood defence contract

The contract will see Land Recovery provide a full support contract, including maintenance of mobile assets, for flood and coastal resilience until Summer 2027. The organisation was chosen by the Environment Agency for its far-reaching logistical capabilities and network of
suppliers able to provide emergency response at short notice 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year. 

There’s never been a more vital time for flood resilience in the UK, as around 5 million people across England and Wales live in flood risk areas, with one in six homes at risk of flooding.₍₁₎

Already in September 2024, the Met Office has issued several amber weather warnings for flooding across the country. Historically, flooding was seen only in peak winter months (from approximately October to March), however with the increasing threat and impact of climate change, the UK is at risk of flooding all year round. Coastal areas are particularly impacted with rising sea levels and accelerating erosion of British coastlines.

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Now, Land Recovery is responsible for the provision and execution of logistics, transport and other services to deliver flood resilience operations. This includes maintaining all mobile flood barriers to ensure they are in a serviceable state and ready to be deployed and to ensure that the inventory is repatriated and re-set after operational use. 

With a nationwide network of fleet including articulated wagons, lorry loaders and trailers, the organisation will utilise its heavy logistical presence to transport mobile flood assets around the country. 

A key piece of equipment in flood defence are high volume pumps. Weighing upwards of 2900kg, Land Recovery deliver the Environments Agency’s 6-inch, 8-inch, 12-inch and 24-inch pumps, along with specialist moving equipment and lorry loaders to position these effectively for flood remediation. A diverse fleet of vehicles are also utilised to carry pipes, mobile workshops and other ancillaries required to support. 

Pete Withers, Head of Resilience at Land Recovery, said: “Flooding is a very real and severe threat to communities at risk, and with climate change currently showing no signs of abating, ensuring preparedness to combat flooding and coastal erosion is paramount. 

"The delivery of flood resilience assets and flood barrier maintenance is a specialist task, and the transport and logistics required to meet such a brief requires a flexible and responsive fleet sometimes at short notice. 

“That’s why we’re delighted to have been chosen by the Environment Agency to provide this support to their Mobile Flood Assets team, utilising our expertise in flood resilience supported by our nationwide logistics network to respond to such emergencies, for the next
three years.”

For further information on Land Recovery and its flood and coastal resilience services, please visit https://landrecovery.co.uk/.

To find out more about the true cost of climate change and coastal erosion to the UK, read Aggregate Industries’ recent report.