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The
Environment Agency warns that more than a million homes and
300,000 businesses are at risk, including those in parts of
London, Southend, Brighton, Reading, Birmingham,
Nottingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Hull, Middlesbrough,
Blackpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Flooding in London would be a National
disaster as it is one of the most important financial
centres in the world, and is responsible for a large portion
of the countries income from the financial services located
there.
The Thames barrier was built as a
response the very real flood risk and stretches 520 metres
across the River Thames near Woolwich, protecting 125 square
kilometres of central London from flooding caused by tidal
surges. As London has a residential population density of
over 250,000 it is major focus of flood risk. The following
points are produced by the environment agency:
Flood risk
• The Thames Barrier has been raised 114 times to protect
London from tidal flooding and fluvial flooding since it
became operational in 1982. Closures are becoming more
frequent with two thirds occurring since 2000. Climate
change may increase the risk of flooding, and require the
barrier to be closed more often in the future.
• Approximately half a million properties are in the
floodplain in London.
• Climate change may increase the risk of flooding, and
require the Thames Barrier to be closed more often in the
future.
The above facts cannot be ignored by
the flood insurance companies that are looking at home
insurance applications from homes and businesses in London
and surrounding areas. If the Environment Agency thinks your
London property is at risk of flooding, you can certain the
home insurance companies do as well.
In Essex coastal areas roughly twenty thousand households
say they have lost equity in their homes and are struggling
with increasing insurance premiums. Essex County Council has
approached the Government for £20million to build a sea wall
to protect a total of thirty five homes at Great Wavering
that have been judged to be at risk from flooding.
In London on October 21st hundreds of
riverside home owners were warned that they may be unable to
get flood insurance cover for their properties as money
designated for flood defence schemes was curtailed. Those
homes located near to the Thames were the main worry, but
across London home insurance premiums were expected to rise
by about 10%. However, some home owners would now find
themselves uninsurable when returning to their existing
insurer to renew their home insurance policies, because of
the increased flood risk, or simply because they had already
had their homes flooded.
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