Diverse regions.
Diverse geography.
Diverse challenges.

Anglian

The Anglian Region covers more than 27,000 square kilometres, from the Thames Estuary in the south to Humber Estuary in the North, and from the East Anglian Coast to Daventry in the West. It includes the main urban areas of Norwich, Peterborough, Ipswich, Chelmsford, Cambridge, Northampton and Lincoln.

Almost six million people live in the region that has one of the fastest growing populations in the United Kingdom. The Region has large areas of flat, low lying land, a quarter of which is below sea level, with more than 160 kilometres of coastline. East Anglia is 34 percent drier, 6 percent hotter and 6 percent sunnier than England & Wales as a whole, which makes this the driest region. Land use is mainly agricultural with 58 percent of the most productive agricultural land in England and Wales found here.

Flood Risk Management is a key priority for us in the Anglian region. There are a number of issues and challenges that we are facing, which include:

  • Our regional Shoreline Management Strategic & Development Planning Team are key players in the provision of coastal management advice to both internal engineering and environmental customers as well as a large number of external partners who have an interest in the coastal regime. One of our key objectives is to identify and promote sustainable solutions for wider shoreline management in the Anglian region. This is an exciting time to join both the region and this team
  • Managing flood risk is also a key activity for our Asset System Management Teams. The work involves establishing new methods of specifying the maintenance and operation of all Environment Agency defences in the region. Managing river systems, project management, taking enforcement action and liaison with relevant external bodies are key roles for these teams. In these teams you will be able to make a significant contribution to managing flood risk across the region.

There are various and exciting Flood Risk Management and Operations Delivery Teams that you could be a part of. Here is some further detail about some of the exciting work that is ongoing within our Region.

Regional Flood Forecasting Team – Anglian Region

The Anglian Regional Flood Forecasting team provides the real time flood forecasting service between the Humber and Thames Estuaries. Forecasting flooding on all the major rivers and along the Anglian Coastline, the team provides the first vital link in the chain of an effective flood response.

The team is organised in to four sections:

  • Flood Forecasting systems: responsible for developing the latest systems for use by operational staff in real time flood events
  • Flood Forecasting Improvements: responsible for developing new forecasting tools and improving existing tools to provide more accurate flood forecasts.
  • Operational Service Delivery: responsible for training the operational forecasting staff, maintaining operational procedures and providing an up to date flood forecasting incident room.
  • Public Awareness and Regional Incident Response: responsible for co-ordinating the regional flood awareness campaign, developing flooding exercises and ensuring contingency arrangements are in place.

The future for the team is exciting with new Levels of Service to achieve and new flood forecasting systems being introduced in September 2006. The workload is varied and the opportunity to provide accurate flood forecasts gives those in the Anglian Region immense job satisfaction.

The Anglian Region – Shoreline Management Group

The Anglian Regional Strategic & Development Planning (SMG) “Shoreline Management Group” is unique within the Environment Agency. This team therefore provides a unique opportunity to develop your career with us in Anglian. With staff in both Peterborough & Ipswich, the team provides specialist support and advice to the wider Flood Risk Management (FRM) function.

The 9 strong team influence the adoption of coastal plans and policies relating to natural coastal processes by:

  • Collecting strategic & scheme specific coastal monitoring data
  • Analysing, managing & disseminating coastal data
  • Providing specialist coastal processes and geomorphological advice to project managers undertaking important FRM works on the coast or within estuaries
  • Providing a wider awareness of coastal challenges to those outside the Environment Agency.

This is a particularly exciting time to work with us in the SMG, as we embark on a new and improved 5-year coastal monitoring programme, whilst supporting our FRM colleagues in providing specialist support and interpretation of coastal processes. With opportunities as vast and varied as our coastline, this is a perfect time to join our team.