Flood warning needs to be heeded by government and local authorities
Local authorities need to consider their housing strategies more carefully in the wake of last year's floods, AA Insurance says.
One year on from the floods which hit Yorkshire, the Midlands and south-west England, AA Insurance has warned that local authorities and the government need to continue their efforts to ensure the disaster is not repeated.
"While I believe the insurance industry responded well to last year's disaster and is well prepared for any future events, it is 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," commented Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance.
"In addition, 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."
Meanwhile, homeowners have been advised to ensure they have a "watertight" home insurance policy.
June 18th 2008