Install simple flood defences to save the UK £740m – Flood Re

Providing simple flood defences to the three million UK homes that are regularly exposed to flood depths of up to 60 centimetres could reduce annual flood losses by £740m a year, according to new research from Flood Re.

The research, conducted by flood risk analysis firm JBA Risk Management, also revealed that some 21.8 million homes – three quarters of the UK’s total – could benefit from additional property flood resilience (PFR).

The research comes amid the launch of the reinsurer’s flood action week campaign, which calls on “the government, insurers, lenders and homeowners to work together to make PFR mainstream”.

The data also suggested that for more than 50,000 households, the cost of installing sufficient PFR was less than the average expected annual loss from flooding. Entry-level measures, such as airbrick covers and pumps, cost approximately £1,500 to £3,000 to install.

Affordable measures

According to Kelly Ostler-Coyle, director of corporate affairs at Flood Re, the new evidence shows the difference that “simple, affordable resilience measures can make, not just to householders, but to the UK’s ability to withstand future floods”.

She continued: “A £10 to £20 airbrick cover can help to stop water entering, yet scaled-up adoption of property-level resilience could save the UK hundreds of millions every year. That’s why we are urging government and industry to treat resilience with the same urgency as insurance and defence investment – because families can’t afford to wait.”

Dr David Wood, managing director at JBA Risk Management, added: “This study provides clear evidence of the benefits of PFR. By quantifying the savings from only relatively modest interventions, we have demonstrated the value that PFR brings in both reducing the losses from flood and enhancing national flood resilience.”