Report Recommends 'Urgent' Flood Defence Upgrade

Britain's flood defences must be significantly improved, a new report has suggested.

Sir Michael Pitt, author of the independent report on current UK floods policy, said that these changes were "urgent" and needed to be "fundamental" in order to protect householders. Boosting defences would also limit the number of home insurance claims made by flood-hit Britons in the future.

The report was first commissioned in the wake of last summer's widespread flooding in central and southern England, which left 13 people dead and led to thousands of people being forced into alternative accommodation. Figures from the Association of British Insurers also show that the total insurance bill for the floods stands at around £3 billion.

Sir Michael's key recommendations include an obligation for local authorities to map all drainage ditches and water streams in their administrative district and to make clear which bodies are responsible for their maintenance, and a requirement for "secretive" utility companies to protect sensitive sites such as electricity substations.

Speaking to the BBC, the report author also said that new homes should not be built on areas which were vulnerable to deluges. "Construction in flood-risk areas should be the absolute exception," he commented. "I think it is very important that people purchasing houses are aware of the risks they are taking".
 

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