THE Environment Agency hosted an event to say thank you to the region’s volunteer flood wardens.

The agency brought groups together in one place and show how by working together they can be more resilient to flooding.

Flood wardens – from areas including Corbridge, Morpeth, North Tyneside and Croft-on-Tees – were also given a tour of the new North-East Area Incident Room, which opened a year ago.

Phil Taylor, the Environment Agency’s flood resilience team leader for the North-East, hosted the event along with the four flood community engagement officers who work across the region to support communities in preparing for flooding. He said: “The event was really successful and was our chance to say thank you to them for taking the time out of their busy lives to support their communities in preparing for and during and after a flood.

“By bringing the different flood warden groups together, they were able to share ideas about their community flood plan, and learn from each other’s experiences. The local knowledge flood wardens provide on the ground is invaluable. They complement our work by implementing their action plans and offering a key point of contact.”