Insurers Tell Govt £500M Extra Needed For Flood Defences

UK flood defences need an extra £500m investment to ensure adequate protection for UK homes and businesses, leading insurance companies have warned in a letter to Chancellor George Osborne.  Without the additional millions in funding the companies are concerned they may face losses even higher than the estimated £450m bill faced after severe storms and flooding last winter.  They have also expressed fears a new national insurance scheme, Flood RE, set up to subsidise insurance costs, may prove unworkable …    

Farm Flood Defence Spending Falling Short, Admits Government

The  Government has admitted current policy was failing to adequately protect agricultural land from flooding.   Responding to a report by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs  committee (Defra) on the winter flooding of 2013/2014, the Government said it was ‘concerned’ the current method for allocating flood defence funding ‘failed to recognise the importance of agricultural land’.   Reaffirming its commitment to spending £3.2 billion on flood and erosion risk management over the course of the Parliament, the report called on Defra to ‘give a long-term commitment to fund regular maintenance’ in relevant catchment areas ..,

Are UK Cities Prepared For Another Flooding Disaster?

Last winter, the UK was hit by a number of major storms, resulting in severe flooding for many communities. Thousands of properties were flooded, some areas remained under water for weeks and transport infrastructure was badly affected. As we face winter again, and climate change continues to create major challenges, are cities and towns across the UK better prepared for the threat of flooding? How can we improve our resilience?  The Guardian has held a live discussion with a panel of experts to tackle the question …

From UK Flood News