Flood risk warning

A NEW video shows the extent of the flood risk to Paignton over 50 years due to rising sea levels if defences are not improved.

The animation has been released by Torbay Council, which is planning sea walls to hold back the water at Paignton and Preston.

The video, produced by the University of Exeter Centre for Water Systems, shows flooding would reach far into the town.

Hundreds of homes and businesses would be affected as the water sweeps into the centre and crosses the railway line as far as Hyde Road. Torbay Council says the defences are needed to safeguard an increasing number of properties at risk from flooding as climate change causes the sea level in Torbay to rise by more than 1m.

It says about 90 homes and 120 businesses are currently at risk from weather events like Storm Emma in 2018. After 50 years of climate change, the number of properties at risk is predicted to rise to 352.

Watch at devonlive.com