Flood Protection Measures Called For

• News
• Published: 01 Jul 2009 in Household and Home Insurance

Flood-damaged homes should be rebuilt with protection measures, the Environment Agency has said.

Houses without such measures - such as having electrics raised from ground level - are not selling as well as those which are flood-resilient, according to agency chairman Lord Chris Smith.

This is becoming a more pressing issue as climate change will increase the threat of flooding, he told a conference on flood and coastal risk management.

He added there is a "serious" risk of flooding for many camping and caravan sites, especially those on the coast. He recommended that caravan and camping sites by rivers and coastlines should have "in case of flood" information for residents similar to "in case of fire" notices in hotels.

People staying at such sites need to be given information on what to do if a flood warning is issued, he said.

He continued: "Some site owners are well aware of the risks, and inform their residents of them, and have good evacuation procedures in place."

The current Flood and Water Management Bill - formulated in the wake of the devastating 2007 floods - did not include such measures, and "perhaps should do", he said.