Homeowners warned of flood risk

7th November, 2005

The government needs to take better action against the threat of flooding, or it may soon become impossible for those living in imperilled areas to obtain a home insurance policy that covers them against floods, a new report has suggested.

MORE TH>N, the direct arm of insurer Royal & SunAlliance, has warned that, with 1.5 million people across the UK at high risk from flooding, , the government needs to seriously take into account the quality of its flood defences.

It has warned against further house-building within flood risk areas, as it will be extremely difficult for new owners there to obtain a home insurance policy providing adequate cover against the flood threat.

David Pitt, head of insurance at MORE TH>N explained: 'The government has made progress in addressing the problem of continued protection against flooding in England and Wales by including plans to raise spending on flood protection in recent spending reviews, and acknowledging the role of the Environment Agency in the planning process.

'However, more needs to be done, particularly with the potential for climate change to drastically affect weather patterns and cause disaster for homeowners and businesses.'

MORE TH>N has called for the government to spend an extra £10-30 million year-on-year on protection against flooding as of now, and to make sure the effectiveness of defences such as the Thames Barrier is maintained.

It has also called for the Environment Agency to provide a national database for all flood defences, so that insurers can provide suitable home insurance policies for those at risk.

 

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