Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect, responding reports in today's media on concerns about funding for the Environment Agency and other government environmental services said:

“Despite the rhetoric on climate change a decade of government cuts to the Environment Agency and other conservation bodies has left the UK struggling to deal with the challenges facing it.

“Real terms funding in Defra and its agencies has been cut by over a third since 2010, with Brexit now diverting important resources away from frontline environmental protection.

“As our members working in climate and environmental protection tell us, it is time to step up the funding for the environment and to urgently invest in the resources Britain needs to keep communities safe and to meet our climate obligations.”