Campaigners claim
300,000 homes are
at risk of flooding

Friends of the Earth is calling for more investment in flood defences and greater effort to stop climate change becoming worse.

Regional campaigner Simon Bowens said: “We are asking the region’s MPs to support the call for flood defences in line with the risks posed by climate change, and for more investment to make homes energy efficient, switch to renewable energy and get off climate-changing and polluting fossil fuels.”

Labour’s Hull North MP, Diana Johnson, said: “It’s clear that with so much more of the country now at risk of flooding, due to the rising sea levels and the greater regularity of volatile and extreme weather caused by climate change, we cannot afford to just write off whole communities, businesses and the property markets in large population centres such as Hull if we want to see our economy growing on a sustainable basis.”

Selby & Ainsty Tory MP Nigel Adams said: “Protecting homes is a priority for this Government so I am pleased to see the increased budget for defences. However, flood defence plans must take into account higher levels of rainfall and higher sea levels and we need a renewed focus on dredging rivers where appropriate.”

It emerged yesterday that fears over flooding have seen a consultation over plans for 6,000 new homes near Scunthorpe delayed. More than 150 homes in the neighbouring villages of Burringham and Gunness were flooded by the Trent in the tidal surge in December. Council chiefs plan to meet the Environment Agency to assess the viability of the scheme.

Research published today by the Blueprint for Water coalition of environmental, water efficiency and angling groups claims dredging is not the “silver bullet” to solve flooding. It warns it can more floods for communities downstream and calls for better land management by farmers to reduce run off of soil and water.

Figures for December 1 to February 19 show the UK had 19.2 inches of rain, making it the wettest winter since 1910.