2015 flood victims ‘cannot claim again’
MP calls Minister’s stance ‘unrealistic’
Flood victims who accessed funds from a scheme in 2015 will be unable to claim again as the Government has insisted they should already be prepared for future disasters.
Environment Secretary George Eustice said those who claimed up to £5,000 five years ago “have already invested to make their homes more resilient”.
FLOOD VICTIMS who accessed vital funds from a resilience grant scheme in the wake of the deluges of 2015 will be unable to claim again as the Government has insisted they should already be prepared for future disasters.
Environment Secretary George Eustice told the House of Commons that those who claimed up to £5,000 five years ago “have already invested to make their homes more resilient”.
And the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed this was the case, but stressed there were a number of other schemes available. Large parts of England were swamped in 2015, including the Calder Valley which has once again been hit by Storms Ciara and Dennis during the past month.
Holly Lynch, the Labour MP for Halifax, said the situation was “unrealistic”.
She said: “I assume his position is it’s for resilience, it’s not for repairs or recovery, but if you’re having to invest in for example expensive dehumidifiers time after time, that’s a cost you will incur every time you flood.”
She added that resilience methods may also have moved on and there may be better methods available now than five years ago,
and those who had previously claimed would be looked out of taking advantage of the most upto-date protection.
It comes as the head of the Environment Agency warned not every home can be protected from flooding as climate change raises the risk of extreme weather. The agency’s chief executive, Sir James Bevan, said that in a few places the scale of coastal erosion or risk of river or sea flooding will become so great that communities may have to move.
However, he said flood defences worked to protect many people, and would continue to be needed, alongside measures to help communities become more resilient to increased flooding.
There is also a need for “nature based solutions”, such as restoring the bends in rivers, planting trees and creating wetland habitats to slow the flow of water down river and reduce flood risks, he added.
Sir James said it would be unrealistic to ban all development on the flood plain, but it should only be done if there is no alternative, and any building that goes ahead should not increase the risk of flooding for other people.
And homes built on the flood plain should be resilient to flooding; for example, with garages on the ground floor and people living higher up.
His comments came in a speech at the World Water-Tech Innovation Summit in London yesterday when he warned a twin-track approach of defences and resilience to flooding is needed to defuse the “weather bomb”.
The Environment Agency is spending £2.6bn on new defences to better protect 300,000 properties by 2021 and more than £1bn on maintaining existing defences in England.
People are being encouraged to ensure their homes and businesses are more resilient to flooding by installing measures such as flood doors, raised electric sockets and sealed doors.
CAR CAUGHT:
AS MANY as 10 properties flooded last night after the River Aire burst its banks near the East Yorkshire town of Snaith.
Humberside Police are asking drivers to avoid the area and homes were being evacuated yesterday. The A1041 north of Snaith was closed. Humberside Police tweeted: “We are in attendance to a river that has burst its banks on Main Road, Snaith, near to Selby Road.”
A spokesman for Humberside Fire and Rescue said they believed 10 properties had been flooded and that figure may rise.
Mathew Buckley, head of legal and democratic services at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “The council is continuously monitoring the situation in Snaith and Gowdall and is working closely with its partners, including the Environment Agency, Humberside Police and Humberside Fire & Rescue, to help those who have been flooded and to also prepare other properties that are at risk.”
Yesterday the Environment Agency issued flood warnings for the area, saying Monday’s
Mathew Buckley, head of legal and democratic services at East Riding Council. prolonged heavy rainfall had caused river levels to rise.
It came as flood defences at Cawood are being strengthened with sandbags, in response to expected rising water levels on the River Ouse.
The Environment Agency, North Yorkshire County Council and Selby District Council are working to raise defences. North Yorkshire Police set up a support station in the car park of the Jolly Sailor pub in the village.
The council is monitoring the situation in Snaith and Gowdall.