Flooding must be taken more seriously: Sir Michael Pitt

Sir Michael Pitt was today due to call for the risk of flooding in Britain to be taken more seriously.

Following the wide-spread chaos and damage caused by floods last summer, the government asked Sir Michael to produce a report identifying the lessons learnt from the disaster and recommend ways of preparing the country for future floods.

An interim report of the review was published in December, with the final publication due in next couple of months.

During a speech at the RUSI Critical National infrastructure Conference today, Sir Michael was due to say: "Last summer's flooding was dramatic and unprecedented."

"Thousands of homes and businesses were flooded and around seven thousand people were rescued from the flood waters by the emergency services. Nearly a year on, thousands of people are still out of their homes – a situation which is worrying and perplexing. A system of public monitoring should be introduced.

"Events of this kind are likely to become more frequent as the climate changes. That is why we must adapt to increasing risks from flooding - more effectively and more quickly. Direction must come from Government and a new approach is needed for planning and making people aware of the risk of flooding."

The estimated damage caused by the floods last June and July currently stands at £2 billion.