Govt 'failed to act' on flood defences

Lib Dems accuse govt of cutting costs on flood defences prior to the unprecedented flooding this summer.

Thursday, 20, Sep 2007 12:00

The government was today accused of a failure of economics and flood management.

Martin Horwood, Lib Dem environment spokesman, said the government was warned in 2004 it needed to review critical infrastructure at risk of flooding but failed to do so.

The effects of this were seen this summer when Mythe water treatment plant near Tewskesbury was flooded, leaving 350,000 homes without water.

Speaking at the Lib Dem conference in Brighton, Mr Horwood criticised the government's approach to flood management as short-sighted.

He said initial expenditure on flood management would be recouped in savings.

Mr Horwood - whose own constituency was under water this summer - warned climate change would see flooding become a regular event rather than freak occurrence.

He said: "Climate change means more erratic weather, more storms, more floods, more droughts, more homes wrecked, more communities, businesses and lives at risk."

The government has ignored warnings to increase the flood defence budget, he continued.

Although this year's deluge prompted Gordon Brown to increase spending to £800 million a year, Mr Horwood said the money would not take effect until 2010.

He said: "You can't be that good at economics Gordon.

"The cost of these floods will be three billion pounds. False savings now mean that tomorrow we'll have higher costs, higher bills, higher insurance premiums."

The Liberal Democrats today said £1 billion a year was needed to improve flood defences and money must be available now.

Delegates at the conference approved a motion limiting new building on flood risk areas and calling for all new developments to have flood defences designed in.

They also said the Environment Agency should be handed overall strategic control of the flood management system.