Why we need to prepare for the increased risk of flooding in the region - Yorkshire Post Letters

A recent report by insurance company Aviva shows that on average, one in three properties around the country will be in danger of flooding by 2050.

One of the most threatened places is Boston and Skegness, with 91.8 per cent of properties in danger of flooding by 2050. Not far behind was Kingston upon Hull with 87.3 per cent.

London, Yorkshire and the Humber represent more than half of the top 20 constituencies affected by river and coastal flooding, highlighting that the east of England is most negatively affected.

There are three different types of flood risk. Coastal flooding, which is made worse by sea level rise, winter storms, and storm surges. River flooding is getting worse because winter rainfall is increasing, and we get more rainfall in a small number of heavy events rather than dispersed rain. Surface water flooding happens when the water can't percolate into the ground, and there isn't good drainage, leading to floods.

These three sources are all getting worse. The number of households at risk is astonishing. Aviva estimates a 27 per cent increase in the number of houses at risk of flooding in the UK, reaching 8 million properties by 2050. Another 1.8 million are at risk of subsidence from changing hydrology.

Overall, that’s about 10 million properties at risk. Given there are roughly 30 million properties, we are nearing one in three households across the entire country being threatened by floods.

It is absolute madness that the Government is still building on floodplains. Over the past decade, 110,000 new homes were built in the highest risk flood zones, equivalent to one in 13 of the new homes built.

Householders can prepare for floods by moving electric sockets up the wall in rooms in danger of flooding, fitting non-return valves on toilets, installing flood gates and self-closing airbricks to avoid water getting in and ensuring gardens are easily drained.

We need woodland creation on hillsides to absorb water and ‘re-wiggling’ rivers.

It will not be possible to protect some places, and people will notice this either as they find it impossible to get insurance for their house or are forced to leave after multiple flood incidents.

Politicians like Trump and Farage may tell you climate change is not a threat, but whether we believe it or not, flooding is becoming more likely.

It may not bother them because if their house gets flooded, they have many others to choose from. But most of us just have the one house and don’t have the finances to easily move.

We have to urgently lobby our politicians to combat climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible, as well as urging them to prepare for the increase in flooding that is inevitable.