More than 6m homes at risk of flooding in England, says Environment Agency
More than 6m homes at risk of flooding in England, says Environment Agency
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Report says rivers, the sea and surface water endangering properties and that number could hit 8m by 2050. More than 6m homes in England are at risk of flooding under the latest climate projections, a study by the Environment Agency has found. This could rise to 8m – or one in four properties – by 2050, the study said.
New modelling shows the number of homes expected to flood has risen much higher than previously expected. In England, 6.3m properties are in areas at risk of flooding from one or a combination of rivers, the sea and surface water. Of these, 4.6m properties are in areas at risk of flooding from surface water. This is when extreme rainfall causes drainage systems to become overwhelmed, which can cause dangerous flash flooding. This projection is a 43% increase on the Environment Agency’s previous assessment.
There are 2.4 million properties in areas at risk of flooding from rivers and the sea. The modelling found an 88% increase in the number of properties at the highest levels of risk, where an area has a greater than one in 30 chance of flooding in any given year.
Earlier this month, Storm Darragh caused much damage across the UK. Two people died in the deluge and tens of thousands faced many days without power. Trains were disrupted and many homes and businesses flooded as the rainfall caused devastating damage.
