A new flood warning service for infrastructure owners and operators has been unveiled by the Environment Agency. 

The Flood Warnings for Infrastructure service will provide infrastructure operators, such as utility companies and transport, with individually tailored warnings, allowing  organisations to take action earlier to protect crucial assets.   
 
Fifty-five per cent of water treatment works and pumping stations and 14 per cent of electricity infrastructure in England are situated in flood risk areas, along with some 4,000 kilometres of roads and 2,500 kilometres of railway.
 
Flood Warning for Infrastructure (FWFI) is a new way of delivering flood warnings to infrastructure owners and operators, and is a major advance on the existing service provided to homes and businesses in England and Wales. 
 
The service is suitable for any type of equipment, development or network, including sewage treatment works, telephone exchanges, offices or depots, motorways and railways.  Any organisation which owns or operates fixed assets or networks is eligible to adopt the service. 
 
Robert Runcie, director of flood and coastal risk management at the Environment Agency, said; 'We provide information so that infrastructure operators know what is at risk so they can build resilience into their systems. The new flood warning service for operators is a major step forward to allow protection of essential assets in the infrastructure system.
Operators must continue to invest in business continuity measures for their systems so that essential services can continue even during a flood.'
 
He continued: 'The floods in Cumbria last year resulted in considerable damage to crucial infrastructure, leaving 10, 000 homes without power and 2,000 phone lines threatened.  The Environment Agency's new service will help operators take action earlier ahead of floods and we urge all infrastructure owners and operators in flood risk areas to take up the service.'
 
Infrastructure owners and operators interested in taking up the service should contact Frazer Rhodes on 0870 850 6506.