STOBART Group has been awarded a new contract to support the Environment Agency when it battles floods.

The infrastructure and support services group will store, track and transport the agency's mobile equipment through the deal, which runs for one year.

It will also allow the organisation access to its network of resilience and distribution centres as well as its fleet of more than 3,000 trucks as a full-time logistics support service.

Andrew Tinkler, Stobart Group's chief executive, said: “Last year’s floods were devastating for many communities across the UK.

"I am very pleased to announce that Stobart Group will be providing support to the Environment Agency over the next twelve months and utilising our logistical expertise, skilled workforce and assets to deploy equipment as and when required.”

The agency has also announced that all of the communities which were affected by flooding last winter - when Storm Desmond as its successors affected Cumbria and other parts of the north - now have the same level of flood protection they had before winter these floods.

This is a result of a £65m programme across the north of England, involving 20,000 inspections and around 650 repair projects to restore or update flood defences.

The agency's teams have also been training with new pumps, vehicles and drones as part of Exercise Certus, which involved 1,000 staff and tested its response to flood emergencies.

Sir James Bevan, chief executive of the Environment Agency, said: “We welcome the contract with Stobart Group that will make us more resilient and improve our ability to get the right equipment to the right places at the right time – helping us to better-protect more communities more of the time.

“Our £65m repair programme means flood-affected communities will be protected again.

"Meanwhile, between January and June 2016, we completed over 120 schemes, better-protecting nearly 48,000 homes from flooding.

Sir James also cautioned: "But there is no such thing as 100 per cent protection against flooding."