Flooding
07 February 2008
Flooding
Many parts of Britain were badly affected by flooding last summer, as were many parts of continental Europe. Both the European Union and the British Government are now looking to take action to mitigate the effects of flooding.
The E U has introduced a floods directive. Whilst they appreciate that they cannot prevent flooding itself, the directive is aimed at reducing the effects of flooding. All member states will be required to prepare flood management plans, carry out flood risk assessments, and prepare flood hazard and risk maps. All this is aimed at reducing the adverse consequences to human health, the environment, cultural heritage and economic activity caused by floods.
In addition to this the British Government has carried out a review of the flood-related emergencies that occurred here last summer. The review makes fifteen urgent recommendations, including:
- More frequent monitoring of groundwater levels at times of high risk, so those likely to be affected by flooding are forewarned.
- The Enviroment Agency should urgently develop a coherent policy on the use of temporary flood defences and barriers as these are currently not an adequate alternative to permanent defences.
- A detailed assessment of critical infrastructure to assess its vulnerability to flooding.
- The Environment Agency should prepare a telephone flood-warning system.
These measures are aimed at reducing the risk of flooding and, as with the E U Directive, reducing the consequences of any such flooding. It is also likely that, in future, there will also be restrictions on how individuals can use land, for instance, restricting the right to lay impermeable surfaces (such as paving slabs) in gardens in areas of high risk and requiring farmers to dedicate areas of land as flood plain in appropriate areas. Such restrictions would be in place to protect the relevant individual’s property as well as that of other landowners in the vicinity.
If you are concerned about your property being at risk from flooding, we suggest that you visit the Environment Agency website for further information or you can contact us and we can undertake a desktop environmental search for you through a recognised firm of environmental consultants which will contain information concerning flooding.
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