HAMPSHIRE County Council leader Roy Perry has met with energy and water companies to discuss ways to improve through joint working the county’s future extreme weather conditions.

The meeting with representatives of Scottish and Southern Energy, Southern Water and Thames Water took place in Winchester on Monday – the day the Met Office and Newcastle University researchers warned that global warming would lead to a significant increase in extreme summer downpours in the UK.

Councillor Perry, pictured, said: “The storms and flooding that occurred in Hampshire this winter tested all the agencies in Hampshire to the full.

“It was acknowledged |that Hampshire was one of the worst-hit areas in the country, suffering from storm damage caused by high winds, together |with tidal surges, river and groundwater flooding.”