A bid to boost flood protection for communities across England has been backed by peers.

The Rivers Authorities and Land Drainage Bill will enable locally accountable rivers authorities to be created to help counter the impact of climate change.

The authorities will co-ordinate drainage, dredging and other river management measures to prevent flooding.

The Bill, which has already cleared the Commons with cross party backing, was given an unopposed second reading by peers.

Tory Lord Bethell, the Bill's sponsor, said it came after serious flooding across the country, and in Somerset in particular, during 2013-14.

Lord Bethell said the new authorities would be "locally accountable risk management authorities with the power to issue a precept funded by local taxpayers".

They would bring together other groups concerned with flood risk management and use the precept to fund additional flood management work.

He said the new authorities would not be forced on communities and would be introduced only where there was local support for them.

The Bill will undergo further detailed committee stage scrutiny at a later date.