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Storm Dennis: Review of Wales' floods of past two years

PA Media Residents of Nantgarw in a rescue boat as emergency services take people to safety, after flooding in the village in WalesPA Media
Nantgarw residents were rescued after flooding in the village caused by Storm Dennis

An independent review into the Welsh floods of 2020 and 2021, including the aftermath of Storm Dennis, has been launched.

The Welsh government has asked barrister Prof Elwen Evans to see what can be learned from the events.

It will consider evidence gathered from previous reports.

The review is part of the Welsh government's co-operation deal with Plaid Cymru, which said people remain "traumatised" by what took place.

But the Tories questioned the scope of the review, saying it would prefer an inquiry rather than "a review of existing reports".

Flooding in February 2020 overwhelmed defences and saw communities that had not seen flooding for decades inundated with water.

The Welsh government said since that event Wales has experience a more rapid increase in the frequency of storm and flood events than at any other time in recorded history.

Heavy rainfall and storms are likely to become more frequent as as result of climate change, it said.

Watch: Storm Dennis left parts of South Wales in February 2020

The review will look at evidence provided in council's 'section 19' reports, and the Natural Resources Wales review of flooding during 2020 and 2021.

It will, according to the Welsh government, "consider key findings, shared concerns, identify areas for improvement and good practice, successes and lessons learned".

Julie James, Welsh Labour's minister for climate change, said: "We have put a thorough flood strategy in place and recently announced the largest ever package of investment to reduce flood risk across Wales, with more than £214m over the next three years to help protect at least 45,000 homes from flood risk."

Plaid Cymru MS for South Wales Central Heledd Fychan, said since the flooding of 2020 "not all reports into the floods have been published and residents and business owners still don't know what happened or why, or whether their homes and businesses will be safe from flooding in the future.

"People remain traumatised by what happened, and still do not feel secure in their homes every time it rains heavily."

She said learning lessons was "vital" and the review was an "important first step in securing answers".

Welsh Conservative climate change spokeswoman Janet Finch-Saunders said: "Too many people in Wales have suffered as a result of severe flooding and these people deserve an independent inquiry which considers a wide range of aspects rather than a review of existing reports."

She called for a "National Flooding Agency to work with local communities to coordinate flood risk management, responses to flooding and carry out independent inquiries into individual flooding events".