Floods Minister Thérèse Coffey has marked the start of works on the £100 million Boston Barrier flood defence, breaking ground on an Environment Agency scheme that will protect 14,000 homes and businesses from tidal flooding.

Work is already underway to dredge more than 5,000 cubic metres of silt from the Boston Haven to make way for construction. Over the coming months, 2,000 tonnes of steel sheeting – weighing as much as 280 elephants – will be put in place to strengthen the riverbanks in preparation for the barrier.

Floods Minister Thérèse Coffey said:

This Government investment will make sure Boston is one of the best protected towns on the east coast and I am proud to be putting the first spade in the ground on this project.

The Boston Barrier is part of our plan to invest £229 million over the next four years to make sure the risk of flooding to 49,000 homes and businesses in Lincolnshire is significantly reduced.

It is expected that works will be complete by the end of 2020, and will make Boston one of the best-protected areas from tidal flooding outside of London.

The scheme will feature a moveable gate across the River Witham together with a new control building to operate the barrier, new flood defence walls on both banks and a replacement gate across the entrance to the existing Port of Boston wet dock.

Toby Willison, Executive Director of Operations at the Environment Agency, said:

This state-of-the-art defence will help protect Boston’s communities and businesses from the kind of flooding the town experienced in December 2013.

It’s yet another example of the brilliant work our teams are doing up and down the country to better protect people from flooding, and recently we’ve reached a milestone of an extra 100,000 homes protected.

The barrier’s 25-metre wide hydraulic-powered gate, when not in use, will lay flat on the riverbed out of sight, but will be raised to close off the River Witham when flooding is expected, preventing high tides on the North Sea from raising river levels in the town.

Boston has a long history of tidal flooding, most recently in December 2013 when more than 800 properties flooded across 55 streets. Flooding also occurred in 1953 and 1978.

The Environment Agency is investing £2.6 billion of government funding in more than 1,500 flood defences to protect homes and businesses across the country by 2021.

Everyone has a responsibility to take steps to protect themselves from flooding, such as knowing your risk, signing up for free flood warnings and making a floodplan in advance. Call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or visit www.gov.uk/flood for more information.

The Marine Management Organisation’s (MMO) Marine Licensing Team have worked with the European Subsea Cables Association (ESCA) to develop a desk note to assist with marine licence applications.

Trudi Wakelin MMO Director of Marine Licensing said:

We worked closely with ESCA in developing this desk note to make sure that the content is of value to the cable industry and that the information contained in it gives a clear understanding of what applicants need to do to achieve licences.

This demonstrates the benefits of working together to achieve the common goals of economic growth and environmental protection.

Peter Jamieson, Chair of ESCA said:

ESCA welcomes this publicly available desk note, which will ensure consistency for both applicant and regulator.

This desk note provides an overview of the subsea cable sector, the relevant legislation, a description of the different types of cable, the main methods of cable installation, as well as the key impacts to be considered in a subsea cable application.

The full desk note is available on the ESCA website.

The Environment Agency (EA) is launching a consultation on Monday 5 February on its strategy options to manage coastal flood risk between Saltfleet and Gibraltar Point over the next 100 years.

The EA’s current flood defence work along this stretch of Lincolnshire’s coastline reduces flood risk for 20,000 residential homes, 1,700 businesses, 24,500 static caravans, 35,000 hectares of farmland and a bustling tourist industry.

This consultation will help the EA form a new strategy that will continue to manage coastal flood risk in the most sustainable way, keeping pace with climate change. The new strategy will go to consultation later this year.

The EA has worked with partners and stakeholders to reduce a long-list of possible coastal flood risk management options to a shortlist of six options, which are now being taken forward to public consultation.

All of the options being considered for consultation include a form of beach ‘nourishment’, the process of putting extra sand on beaches to restore levels lost naturally to the sea. This is currently one of the key ways in which the EA manages coastal flood risk along Lincolnshire’s coastline. Full details on each of the options are available online and will also be displayed at the public drop-in events which will be held over the coming weeks.

A full Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is being carried out to assess the environmental impact of the strategy. The SEA will make sure the EA can continue to manage coastal flood risk without negatively affecting the vast array of valuable habitats, species, landscapes and seascapes that Lincolnshire’s coastline has to offer.

This consultation is open for a six week period and invites everyone to get involved and share their views. The consultation starts on 5 February 2018. Submissions can be made online, at one of the public drop-ins or through a postal consultation form which can be requested by calling 0208 4749987.

Commenting on the consultation, EA Flood and Coastal Risk manager Deborah Campbell said:

This strategy review will help us continue to manage coastal flood risk for thousands of homes, businesses and static caravans as well as agricultural land and a vibrant tourist industry in Lincolnshire’s coastal communities over the next 100 years.

In the lead-up to this consultation we worked with partners and stakeholders, including a number of elected representatives, to help us reduce a long-list of options for flood risk management on this stretch of the coast to a shorter list of six.

This consultation process will allow the coastal communities we serve along Lincolnshire’s coastline to get involved and have their say. The process will enable us to gather invaluable information and allow us to make an informed decision on how we will manage coastal flood risk between Saltfleet and Gibraltar Point over the next 100 years.

The following public drop-in events have been scheduled. Registration for these events is not necessary; simply show up on the day.

• 14 February 2018, 2pm-7pm at Bacchus Hotel, 17 High St Sutton on Sea LN122EY
• 16 February 2018, 10am-4pm at Gibraltar Point Visitors Centre, Gibraltar Road, Skegness PE244ST
• 21 February 2018, 2pm-7pm at Embassy Theatre, Grand Parade, Skegness PE252UG
• 23 February 2018, 2pm-7pm at Village Hall, Sea Road, Anderby PE245YD
• 27 February 2018, 2pm-7pm at Methodist Church, Main Road, Saltfleet LN117TP
• 5 March 2018, 2.30pm-7.30pm at Village Hall, 28 Sea Road, Chapel St Leonards PE245SA

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) sets monthly catch limits for quota species to ensure the UK stays within the overall limit set by the EU. These limits apply to all under 10 meter vessels and the over 10 meter vessels that are not in a co-operative (Producer Organisation).

Please contact the MMO if you have any comment to make about the suggested catch limits which will be put into force on 1 February 2018.

Comments to be received no later than 8am on Monday 29 January 2018.

The MMO will regularly consult industry on monthly or other catch limits and will, wherever possible, ensure that any representations are taken into account when setting such limits. The MMO reserve the right to alter catch limits and / or close fisheries without prior notice or consultation in the event that such actions are necessary and expedient for the regulation of sea fishing.