Earmarked improvements to flood-prone areas will not take place in the next five years.

Flood risk alleviation work in Braintree and Bocking, costing a combined £156,000, will not happen until 2019/20 at the earliest.

Flooding last Friday blocked the A120 between Bradwell and Coggeshall and caused school closures as many roads became unpassable.

But, in a week that has seen flooding affect large parts of the UK, Braintree and Witham remain low on a list of EA priorities.

See this week's Times for the full story