THE WELSH Government has provided an update on how many north Wales homes have been impacted during the recent floods.

The arrival of Storm Babet on October 20 marked the first named storm to affect Wales this winter season.

In North Wales, Flintshire, Conwy, and Wrexham were among the worst affected.

The Welsh Government has now revealed the impact that both Storm Babet and Storm Ciaran had on the region's homes.

Figures shared with them by local authorities revealed that, as of November 17, Storm Babet had hit 103 properties in Flintshire, 21 in Wrexham, and 17 in Conwy.

Minister for climate change, Julie James MS said: "I know how devastating the impacts of flooding can be – I would like to offer my condolences to the loved ones of the individuals who very sadly lost their lives across the UK during Storm Babet, and also my heart felt sympathies to those people whose properties were affected during both Storm Babet and Storm Ciarán.

"I am grateful to our emergency services, Natural Resources Wales, local authorities and many others who worked tirelessly during and between both storms to minimise the impacts on communities where possible.

"I would also like to acknowledge the wider support from insurance companies in supporting affected customers. My officials and Natural Resources Wales worked closely with counterparts in the UK and Scottish Governments to ensure a joined-up approach, including through Local Resilience Forums which were stood up as part of the response efforts.

"Colleagues are undertaking a routine evaluation exercise to reflect on what worked well, and what could be done better during future named storms.

"With the changing climate, we face more frequent and severe floods, rising sea levels and faster rates coastal erosion. We must be prepared to deal with longer, heavier bouts of rain on a regular basis. Events like Storms Babet and Ciarán are becoming less ‘exceptional’ and more ‘routine’.

"We know it is impossible to stop or prevent all flooding, but we can and are indeed taking steps to reduce the consequences and help to create more resilience across Wales.

"This year we have allocated over £75m in Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management in Wales, the highest ever annual spend on flood risk management in Wales to date. As part of this £75 million package, we are making £34 million capital funding available to our Risk Management Authorities (RMAs).

"It is for RMAs to put forward proposed schemes for capital funding and I encourage local authorities to continue engaging with this process. We know that investment does work – for example, NRW estimates that over 1,000 properties did not flood in the storms because of the investment they have been able to put in place."

It is likely that we will face further named storms like Storm Babet and Ciarán throughout this winter. Preparedness is paramount. NRW has practical guidance on what to do before, during and after a flood and I would urge you and your constituents to make use of this support."