‘Bouts of flooding could be more frequent’

INTENSE BOUTS of flooding are set to become more frequent because of climate change, the Environment Agency has warned.

The UK has seen a pattern of severe flooding over the past 10 years linked to an increase in extreme weather events, such as winter storms, the agency said.

Met Office records show there have been 17 record-breaking rainfall months or seasons since 1910 – nine of which have occurred since 2000. The severe floods caused by Storms Desmond and Eva in winter 2015/6 devastated many parts of Yorkshire.

At the same time sea levels are rising, increasing the risk of coastal flooding and storm surges.

The agency issued the warning as it launched a campaign aimed at younger people. Research shows those aged 18 to 34 are least likely to perceive flood risk in their area, know how to protect their homes or where to get information. They are also at the highest risk of death in floods as they are less likely to perceive the risks they pose.

Meanwhile, new laser scanning technology is being used to “weigh” trees, in a project which could help more accurately assess the role forests play in tackling climate change.

Lasers are used to collect hundreds of thousands of points of data a second from the canopy, which are processed to build a 3D picture of the tree revealing its structure and its volume, which allows estimates of mass. One sycamore tree in a wood near Oxford had nearly 6.8 miles of branches, double that of much taller tropical trees measured as part of the study, researchers from University College London said.