| More than half a million homes in England could be | | | | of people, followed by tougher planning controls for |
| ineligible for home insurance unless action is taken to | | | | new homes. Three-quarters of people believed the |
| protect them against flooding, the insurance industry | | | | government's target of 3m new homes by 2020 |
| warned today. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) | | | | should be reduced if it would lead to more homes |
| warned that its members could stop offering flood | | | | being at risk of flooding. |
| protection as standard on all home insurance policies, in | | | | Nick Starling, the ABI's director of general insurance |
| a report published a year after thousands of homes in | | | | and health, said: "These findings reinforce our call for a |
| Hull were hit by flooding. | | | | long-term flood management strategy. |
| The report stated insurers could not commit to | | | | "In particular, we must tackle the problem of surface |
| covering all the homes identified by the Environment | | | | water drainage. Planning for the future is essential if |
| Agency as being at significant risk of flooding, over | | | | we are to minimise a repeat of last year's terrible |
| 517,000 of them, unless the government announced | | | | floods, and to ensure that flood insurance protection |
| plans for them to be adequately defended. | | | | remains widely available." |
| The ABI added that without government action and | | | | A spokesman for the government's communities and |
| stricter enforcement of planning controls to prevent | | | | local government department said: "If councils properly |
| new homes being built on flood plains, some properties | | | | use the tough new planning rules we have put in place |
| could become "uninsurable, unsaleable and | | | | to protect new homes against flood risk, which |
| uninhabitable". It was also stated that last year's floods | | | | includes consulting the Environment Agency, it will |
| in Hull and Gloucester led to 180,000 claims for | | | | ensure that all homes are safe from flooding and |
| flood-damaged homes, businesses and vehicles, and | | | | sustainable for the future - effective surface water |
| that its members had dealt with four years' worth of | | | | drainage and flood defences must also be part of |
| claims in two months. | | | | new housing infrastructure." |
| More than 17,000 policyholders were put up in | | | | The ABI (Association of British Insurers) represents the |
| temporary accommodation and a total of £3bn was | | | | collective interests of the UK’s insurance industry. |
| paid out in claims. | | | | The Association speaks out on issues of common |
| Statistics regarding some of those living in the flood-hit | | | | interest; helps to inform and participate in debates on |
| areas found eight out of 10 thought the danger of | | | | public policy issues; and also acts as an advocate for |
| flooding was increasing, while three-quarters did not | | | | high standards of customer service in the insurance |
| think enough was being done to tackle the problem. | | | | industry. |
| Improving drainage was seen as a top priority for 98% | | | | |