The Environment Agency’s 2008 National Flood Risk Assessment estimated that 5.2 million properties (1 in 6 properties) were at risk of flooding. Where money is available, individuals are working to defend themselves from repeated flooding.

In certain situations desk based information is not available or detailed enough to meet the requirements of a particular project brief. More detailed work is required to understand flood mechanisms and define flood risk. This may be the case when a site is located within Environment Agency Flood Zones 2 or 3, in a locality where detailed hydraulic modelling has not been undertaken.