EAST Riding of Yorkshire Council has welcomed the government’s announcement of £80 million in funding for tidal defence works in the Humber estuary.

Councillor Chris Matthews, portfolio holder for infrastructure, highways and emergency planning, said the money formed part of a suite of flood defence works that the authority had sought funding for.

“There is still a separate bid in to the government for £1.28 billion of funding from authorities across the area, and this funding is still very much required, to protect 400,000 residents from tidal flooding over the next decade,” he said.

He claimed the council was leading the way on tidal flood defences and also working with rural communities to find sustainable solutions to flood defences in those areas.

“We cannot protect only urban areas – we must protect the whole flood plain to ensure the sustainability of East Yorkshire as a whole,” he said.

“The Humber estuary is seeing the biggest inward investment for a generation.

“This growth and sustainable development requires effective investment in the infrastructure of the area – the most important infrastructure is that related to flood risk.”