The government will commit £2.65bn to shoring up the UK’s flood defences as climate change threatens homes in low-lying areas.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the money will benefit around 52,000 properties by March 2026 when the new defences are expected to be completed.

The frequency of extreme weather events in the UK and around the world is continuing to rise as climate change warms the planet. But the UK is particularly susceptible because of its geographical location, sitting between warm tropical air from the south and cold polar air from the north. According to a study last year, extreme UK rainfall experienced during autumn and winter 2023/24 was made 10 times more likely because of human-induced climate change.

Defra said the Labour government inherited flood assets “in their poorest condition on record” after 14 years under the Conservatives because of underinvestment and damaging storms. Some 3,000 of the Environment Agency’s 38,000 high-consequence...