Environment Agency staff travelled to the Norfolk Coast to test the area's vital flood defence systems.

Two small teams of around three or four people tested flood defences in Wells, Cley, four locations between Happisburgh and Winterton and Great Yarmouth.

Dean Platford, Environment Agency specialist team member for north Norfolk, said: 'It's about checking that everything is ready in case of a real emergency, both the flood defence equipment and the staff themselves.

'We have deliberately taken the guys away from where they usually work and have three lads from Broadland working in north Norfolk today to ensure they could react instantly in an emergency if people are away or off sick. We have been stepping up our work in preparing to respond to flooding, not because there is a particular danger of it but just because it is important to be prepared.'

County councillor and senior flood warden for Wells, Dr Marie Strong, said: 'This is a positive exercise and it will give confidence to the coastal communities that in the case of an emergency the Environment Agency staff are well prepared to deal with it.'