According to Bob Sargent, of Hyder Consulting, who was speaking at an event called surface water management – recent thinking and the flood and water management bill proposals .
Speaking at the event, organised by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), Mr Sargent called for national standards to help authorities work together.
He said: “It’s as much the issue of getting teams talking to one another.
“Many of them are very focused on what they do, but they don’t often discuss what they do between departments.”
Calling for more national co-operation he added: “Local authorities … need to know who’s got all the data and keep that up to date.
“There’s quite a few issues about people collecting data that’s not compatible – let’s get some standards.”
Luke Walsh