CML news & views

One year on from last summer’s floods, insurers have called for more government action to identify and manage the threat of flooding.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has warned that it cannot commit to continue to provide flood cover to more than half a million homes in England “unless the government announces plans for them to be adequately defended." The Environment Agency has predicted that 517,000 homes are at significant risk of flooding.

According to opinion research published by the ABI, three-quarters of people think that not enough is being done to tackle flooding. Insurers also say there is widespread support for cutting the government’s target of building three million new homes by 2020 if it would put more properties at risk of flooding.

The ABI said the half a million homes already known to be at risk of flooding could become uninsurable unless the government ensures they are adequately protected.  Insurers said their survey had revealed that:

• improving drainage was seen as the top priority, followed by tougher planning controls for new homes and greater investment in flood defences;
• two-thirds of people think the problems are getting worse;
• nine out of 10 people say that new homes should only be built in areas at risk of flooding where there are adequate flood defences; and
• 90% of people would like to see a recognised standard or kite mark to show that new homes are built to flood-resilient standards.