Flood apathy warning

Too many households are choosing to ignore the risk of flooding, according to new research from the Environment Agency.

Some five million people in two million properties face the risk of flooding but around 41 per cent of them are unaware of the threat.

Barbara Young, chief executive of the Environment Agency, commented: "Although we?re unlikely to see flooding in the UK like that caused by the Boxing Day tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, there is still a significant flood threat here from extreme rainfall and coastal surges.

"Devastating floods do happen here too, like those in Autumn 2000, and more recently in Boscastle and Carlisle. There?s a tendency for people to think 'it?ll never happen to me'. The fact is, it could, we just don?t know when."

"People in this country cannot afford to be complacent about flood risk," she added.

The Environment Agency is launching an eye-catching advertising campaign to remind people of the threat of devastating floods in this country. It will urge people to find out if they live or work in a flood risk area and how to prepare in case the worst happens this winter.

Its research also reveals that 34 per cent of people in flood risk areas had not checked whether their buildings and contents insurance covers flood damage and only seven per cent had found out how to get flood warnings.

Click here for Direct Line Home Insurance