Storms serve as reminder of flood risks

• Torrential rain across the UK caused widespread damage to properties
• Annual cost of flood damage estimated to be in excess of £1 billion
• Ecclesiastical insurance issues warning and advice to customers

Following a lengthy spell of hot weather, thunderstorms have swept across the UK causing localised flooding and damaging many properties in the process.

Emergency services across the country have been responding to calls linked to the weather – with floodwater affecting businesses and forcing many people to evacuate their homes.

Ecclesiastical is urging homeowners to take precautions if they are in an area that is under a flood warning.

Jo Whyman, Risk Management Director at Ecclesiastical explained: “People living in an area that might be susceptible to any form of flooding should think about what they might need to do in the event of a flood.

“Make sure you have a list of key contacts such as the emergency services, an electrician, a Gas Safe Contractor and your insurer in a safe and waterproof place. If a flood warning is issued move valuable items out of reach of flood levels and keep up to date with the latest alerts from the Met Office or the Environment Agency.“

The forecast downpours could lead to localised flooding caused by surface-water run-off as a result of reduced the drainage capacity of land across the country. This means that during heavy downpours surface water can’t drain away quickly enough causing flash floods.

Jo added: “Flash flooding can happen miles away from established watercourses and can occur where there is no history of previous flooding problems. This makes it hard to predict and means it can happen quickly but generally tends to be short lived.

“In many cases existing drains haven’t been upgraded or maintained to cope with new building developments which means that the local sewage system simply can’t deal with the increased volumes of water run-off.”

More guidance and advice is available on the Ecclesiastical website.