The Environment Agency has lifted its flood warnings following the most serious tidal surge in over 60 years, with only 9 flood alerts now in place and no severe flood warnings or flood warnings.

The surge, which saw around 1,400 properties flooded, resulted in record sea levels, which in places were higher than those seen during the devastating floods of January 1953.

The Environment Agency sent over 160,000 warnings to homes and businesses.

The Agency said that over 2,800 kilometres of flood walls, banks and other flood risk management assets along the English coast and estuaries had protected more than 800,000 properties from flooding.

However, some coastal defences were breached or damaged by the floods – including defences along the south Humber bank Boston in Lincolnshire and Burnham and Cley in Norfolk .

Environment Agency teams and contractors will be out on the ground over the coming days to inspect and repair damaged sections of walls, banks and other assets. The teams have received military support for the most urgent repairs.

Dr Paul Leinster, Environment Agency Chief Executive, said:

“We continue to work with our partners to review the impact of flooding and to ensure that damage to flood walls and banks is repaired as soon as possible.

“Our staff, partners and the emergency services have worked tirelessly to issue warnings, ensure that flood risk management assets were in place and move people to safety. Without their efforts the impacts of this storm could have been far worse.

“Over the last three days we issued an unprecedented number of severe flood warnings. These early warnings gave emergency services, homes and businesses vital time to prepare.”