The Environment Secretary and Thurrock MP Jackie Doyle-Price were at Tilbury Port today to unveil plans for a £12 million re-boot of the port’s flood defences.

Over 3,000 homes in Tilbury are at risk of flooding without the barrier - which has not had significant investment for a number of years. 

The homes will be protected against rising sea levels, which are currently forecast by the Environment Agency to go up a few millimetres each year.

The £12 million project will see £8 million come from the Environment Agency and £4 million from Tilbury Port.

Environment Agency Area Manager Dr Charles Beardall said: “We are 100% confident this new defence will protect the people and houses of Tilbury for the next 100 years.”

Video 1: David Housden, Head of Engineering at Tilbury Port talks through the plans:

Thurrock MP Jackie Doyle Price said: “We’re really pleased with this development. It’s very important that we do this as we are built on a flood plain and we are not going to be able to build the houses we want unless we have got good flood defences.”

Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss said: “I came today to see first-hand this crucial work to refurbish and replace tidal flood defences on the river Thames. This will provide better floods protection to 1.25million people across the region.”

The new higher barrier will mean that ships no longer have to wait outside the port to enter as they now sometimes do when the current flood defences are under pressure from tides.

Video 2: Environment Agency Area Manager Dr Charles Beardall explains how the old system works: