Around one in five homes and businesses in England are in flood-risk areas, analysis from the Environment Agency has warned. The number of properties in danger has risen to 6.3million, and up sharply from 5.5million when the last assessment was carried out in 2018. And it warns the impact of climate change could result in the figure soaring to about eight million by the middle of the century - or around one in four homes and businesses.
The update comes after widespread disruption and floods from storms Bert and Darragh. It covers areas at danger of flooding from rivers, the sea or surface flooding, or a combination of different sources. The analysis draws on more advanced data and modelling and accounts for the impacts of climate change for the first time.
About 4.6million of the properties currently at risk face surface water floods caused by heavy rainfall overwhelming drainage systems and resulting in run-off or flash flooding. The Environment Agency said the figure was a 43% increase on the previous assessment as a result of improvements in data, modelling and use of technology to fill in gaps in some parts of the country.
The assessment also found about 2.4million properties, from houses and flats to caravans, care homes and businesses, are in areas at risk of flooding from rivers and the sea in England, slightly lower than the 2.6 million in the last assessment. But the Agency said there was an 88% increase in the number of properties at the highest levels of risk, with 367,900 homes and businesses now in areas with a greater than one in 30 chance of flooding in any given year, due to a number of factors including improved data and modelling.
