Britain’s infrastructure still at risk from flooding

A government review has revealed that Britain’s roads, railways and hospitals are still vulnerable to severe flooding.

Britain’s most important infrastructure, along with electricity, gas, water and internet remain at risk from floods, a government review will admit.

The review, which was prompted by December’s floods in the North of England, will say rainfall should be managed from the source of the river to the sea, although critics have warned that the report ignores some types of flooding.

The report focuses on floods on rivers and at the coast, and does not look at floods that are caused by rainfall failing to drain away far from rivers or the sea. There are concerns that it creates a “false sense of security” that if you’re away from a river or the coast that you are not at risk.

It is said that decision-makers have not grasped the full magnitude of flood risks, and that better protection is needed for cities around the UK. Improvements also need to be made on locally significant installations.

A source said: “It is clear that there is a very variable picture, with some infrastructure protected much better than others.

“The Cumbria floods were thought to be a bit of a freak at the time but we now realise that we can expect to see more really extreme events in different parts of the country.

“Often, the local flood records only go back 50 years, so they don’t show the full range of what might happen. Natural variability in weather is much bigger than we thought.

“We haven’t found a fingerprint of climate change on recent flood events – but they are in line with what scientists say we should expect with increased warming.”

The review will hold up Cumbria’s example of the flood partnership, which is already being pioneered in other areas, where flood walls will boost protection for infrastructure; peatland will be restored to hold water upstream; water storage in reservoirs will be increased in the winter; farm management will be altered to catch rainfall by subsoil ploughing; and trees will be planted and river bends restored.

A recent report by the Committee on Climate Change warned that infrastructure was so closely inter-related that one piece of infrastructure could lead to the collapse of another.

The full review will be published in late summer.

 

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