This section of the site details how English & Welsh maritime local authorities, the Environment Agency, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the National Assembly for Wales are working together to provide the essential flood and coastal defences along our coastlines.

It is currently estimated that nearly two million properties are at risk from floods, affecting about 10% of the population of England and Wales. The capital value of assets at risk is estimated at £214 billion, potential economic damage (if there were no defences) would be, on average, about £2.8 billion per year, while with present defences in place the annual average annual damage is reduced to an estimated £0.6 billion. These figures exclude certain losses such as impacts on transport, recreation and amenity and intangible impacts on health and the natural environment, so the damage figures are inherently conservative.

The stated policy aim of DEFRA and the National Assembly for Wales is: "To reduce the risk to people and the developed and natural environment from flooding and coastal erosion by encouraging the provision of technically, environmentally and economically sound and sustainable defence measures."

Regional Coastal Groups are responsible for co-ordinating the management of the English and Welsh coastlines to meet this policy aim.