Flood risk grows rapidly

The Environment Agency has warned that one in six homes in England is at risk of flooding and it needs £20bn by 2035 to protect properties from rising sea levels and extreme rainfall, The Times reports.

Spending on flood defences must rise from £570m a year to £1bn a year just to protect the 490,000 homes at the highest risk of flooding.

Vital installations for electricity, water and gas are at risk, as are thousands of schools, nurseries, hospitals and GP surgeries and police, fire and ambulance services.

Some 2,500km (1,550 miles) of railway, 4,000km of roads and scores of premises earmarked for use as flood evacuation centres are threatened as are hundreds of seaside camping and caravan parks and prisons.

In areas with a small number of dwellings requiring defences costing £50,000 to £100,000, homeowners may have to pay for it themselves.

The Environment Agency believes that householders should be given incentives to floodproof their homes in return for cheaper premiums for insurance cover. It is also urging local authorities to offer council tenants the chance to pay for flood insurance cover for their belongings as part of their rent.

Other figures

• 5.4 million at risk of flooding
• 2.4 million are threatened by rivers and sea
• 2.8 million from surface water from overflowing drains
• Almost 500,000 at the highest
• 350,000 properties, including 280,000 homes, will be in that category within 25 years.
• £150m a year needed to improve drainage systems
• Cost of flood damage to properties estimated to rise from £2.5bn a year to £4bn by 2035.