Climate change to blame for the rise in flood premiums!

The number of UK residents facing significant flood risk is larger than the population of Birmingham and Manchester combined, according to a major new report from a coalition of leading environmental campaign groups.

The numbers at risk were highlighted in a study from The Climate Coalition, a collection of over 130 organisations including conservation bodies WWF, the RSPB, and The Wildlife Trusts, aid agencies such as Oxfam, and community groups like the Women’s Institute.

The UK is experiencing wetter winters and more frequent and intense weather extremes, which scientists have attributed to climate change and which are widely expected to worsen over the coming decades. The report outlines how communities have suffered in the aftermath of floods, such as those in Yorkshire and the Midlands at the end of last year.

The years 2007-19 have seen a major flood event nearly every year, with almost 100,000 properties damaged in England, according to data drawn by the report from the Environment Agency.

The November 2019 floods led to more than 2,250 insurance claims for flood damage from homeowners with at least £45 million expected to be paid out to cover damaged homes and possessions, according to information given to report authors by the Association of British Insurers (ABI). Coastal, surface or river flooding is now estimated to cause more than £1bn worth of damage a year in the UK.

One of the worst affected places during the November 2019 floods was Bentley, in South Yorkshire, where more than 400 homes were damaged. Previous flooding in the town in 2007 had left residents priced out of home insurance by high premiums, with a £7,500 excess in one case. Flooding has also made it difficult for residents to sell or move home.

As such the Coalition called for all new homes to be made compatible with the UK’s net zero emissions target and urged the government to help homeowners make their houses more energy-efficient, while also stepping up investment in improving flood defences in vulnerable areas.

Building homes in areas at risk of flooding should be subject to stricter controls, while planting more trees in urban areas will both reduce the risk of flooding and help to cool cities during heatwaves, the Coalition added.

 

On the subject… know your flood risks!

 

A business owner whose business was damaged in the South Yorkshire floods has warned fellow entrepreneurs about the dangers of being underinsured and cautioned that thousands of businesses risk ‘losing everything’ if they are hit.

Ms Webb was one of hundreds of residents of Fishlike who had their homes and businesses destroyed after the nearby River Don over topped its banks in November consequently flooding Fishlike. The village is still reeling from the effects of the flood, with many seeing in the New Year in temporary accommodation and businesses unable to reopen.

Her distress was compounded when she received a phone call from her insurance broker, to advise her that her policy had a flood exclusion clause and she was therefore not covered.

Ms Webb said: “This is a huge issue that will impact more and more people. People will often go through comparison sites for insurance and get the cheapest quote, but that insurer may not be signed up to Flood RE cover, may have huge excesses, or completely exclude flooding in order to pass on that cheaper price.

“People also need to realise that they are not immune to flooding because they don’t live near a river – my property and business are not near a river and look what happened me.”

Pam, who has lived at her property since 2004, said she always had cover for flooding but last year, on renewal, flood cover was excluded on both her home and business. She received the devastating news that her insurance company would not pay-out and furthermore the insurer was pulling her renewal offer.

Following a visit from Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Pam contacted the PM’s office asking for help, as she had to find a new insurance provider with five days’ notice.

According to 2019 Environment Agency report, 2.4million properties are at risk from flooding from rivers and seas, whilst three million properties are at risk from surface water flooding.

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