Homeowners Face More Flood Misery

Homeowners are facing more traumatic winter floods and steep home insurance premiums if the government doesn't live up to its pledge on flood defences, home insurance companies have warned.

Local flood defence should be boosted by £300 million a year just to keep track with global warning, a home insurance report recently estimated. Over 1.5 million people living in 280,000 homes and 100,000 small businesses are in areas of high flood risk. A primary school assistant from Herne Hill in London, who has been flooded five times in six years, is one of them.

"You can see the manhole covers bobbing with the pressure of the water after heavy rain, so the drains and sewers obviously cannot cope. When it flooded last year, we heard trickling water and within a couple of minutes it was four feet deep," she commented.

"I have learned not to keep things on the lower shelves and to move things upstairs if heavy rain threatens," she added.

While her home insurance policy paid to have the water pumped from her house and for her goods to be dried or replaced, her premiums have also increased by £1,000 because of the increased risk.

The government has fulfilled its pledge to curb building on flood plains but has yet to provide a say to the Environment Agency in all planning decisions as it has committed to.

"There is still more to be done on flood defences and the Government can't take its foot off the pedal. Some communities have no defences at all," said a home insurance spokesman.

As well as better defences against river and coastal flooding, the insurers highlight problems with decaying Victorian sewers in towns that can no longer cope with heavy rain.

Modifications that homeowners can make to properties include fitting flood boards around the doors of a house or installing special valves in drains to stop sewers backing up. These could cut the cost of restoring a property by an average of £40,000 and earn discounts on insurance premiums.

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