Last winter, the UK witnessed an unprecedented pattern of intense storms, delivering the worst period of rainfall for 248 years. This resulted in serious and devastating damage to properties and infrastructure across the country.
As our climate continues to change, there is a real risk of last year’s weather catastrophe repeating itself. Of the 5.2m properties in the UK currently at risk of flooding, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs estimates that 1.4m of these are at risk from flooding by rivers or the sea, and with sea levels predicted to rise again by 11-16cm in the coming years, the outlook for these properties is bleak.
The government’s Autumn Statement delivered the welcome news of a £2.3bn cash injection into restoring and enhancing the network of flood defences across the UK. This six-year programme is targeting the most at-risk locations. In addition, Flood Re is being introduced to assist homeowners with accessing affordable flood insurance. However, Flood Re is only designed to last for 25 years and is a transitional arrangement to a free market pricing structure for domestic flood insurance.
