NOTHING can be done to prevent flooding in Kent but everything is being done to reduce the impact.

That was the message from a conference in Maidstone which attracted more than 100 flooding experts.

In the first local authority partnership of its kind, Kent County Council, the Environment Agency and the South East Coastal Group teamed up to hold the Managing Flood Risk in Kent conference.

Dr Binny Buckley, area manager for the Environment Agency, said there were nearly 80,000 people in flood risk areas in Kent.

She added: "Floods will never be preventable. Our strategy is to help defend where is possible and to get people to have a greater understanding of the risks and how to respond to them."

Dr Buckley said since the floods of 2000, a great deal of work had been carried out to reduce the risk of flooding by enlarging water channels and improving flood defences in high-risk areas.

She added: "We've removed a lot of the bureaucracy and with the support of additional funds it has allowed us to put more man-power and resources into problem solving."

Cllr Sarah Hohler (Con), KCC's deputy leader and cabinet member for community services, said: "We have discussed the lessons learned, progress made and how we must all work together to plan for the future."

Steve McFarland, chairman of the South East Coastal Group, said: "Almost 150,000 people live in the coastal flood plains and many thousands more are threatened by coastal erosion and coastal landslips.

"It is crucial that the South East Coastal Group, along with its partners and central Government, work together to develop long term and sustainable coastal management policies."