Half a million homes could be ‘uninsurable’
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| Flooded home (C) PA |
More than half a million homes are at risk of becoming uninsurable due to a lack of action to protect them against flooding, the insurance industry warns. Find out how you can defend your home
A year after thousands of British homes were hit by flooding, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) warns that its members could stop offering flood protection as standard on all home insurance policies.
A report from the ABI says insurers may not commit to covering the 517,000 homes identified by the Environment Agency as being at significant risk of flooding, unless the Government announces plans for them to be adequately defended.
The ABI says that without Government action and stricter enforcement of planning controls to prevent new homes being built on flood plains, some properties could become “uninsurable, unsaleable and uninhabitable”.
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"A year ago 180,000 people made claims for flood damage over a period of two months – normally four years' worth of claims – that totalled a whopping £3bn,” Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance says.
More than 17,000 policyholders were placed in temporary accommodation.
"It’s vital that the Government continues to invest in flood defences while local authorities should not bow to pressure to provide housing stock by giving planning permission to build in high flood risk areas,” Douglas adds.
“Last year showed that many drainage systems are inadequate to deal with prolonged rain and it's also vital that local authorities assess future flood risks and invest in effective flood drainage management."
Of those living in the flood-hit areas, eight out of 10 think the danger of flooding is increasing, while three quarters don’t think enough is being done to tackle the problem, according to a survey by the ABI.
Improving drainage is seen as a top priority for 98% of people, followed by tougher planning controls for new homes and greater investment in flood defences.
by Martin Pegan, 19 June 2008
