It’s been over 12 months since Aston Charles first reported on the devastating floods, which hit Cumbria in mid November 2009. Our intrepid blogger, Richard Jones, has returned to Keswick to see how life has changed for those who live and work in the Lake District.
One of the first ports of call on Richard’s whistle-stop tour of Cumbria was the Bed & Breakfast he first visited after the floods. “Having been in occasional dialogue with the proprietors throughout 2010, I knew they were still going through the restoration process, but was saddened to see that the B&B was still not visibly any closer to trading than it was during my last visit to Cumbria in June” Richard continues, “In early November, the floor was still to be dug out and resealed with a waterproof membrane as it had been laid incorrectly, and extensive plastering was required using a specialist product designed for flood prone properties”. Richard goes on to explain, “Perhaps more saddening is the effect that such major loss claims have on policyholders. This claim has been dragging on for over a year now, the insured have been living in rented accommodation and relying on Business Interruption payments, and it’s truly disheartening to see the lack of progress”.
As Richard anticipated in his last report from Cumbria, the value of claims rose way in excess of the £100M initial estimate made by the ABI (It is now rumoured to be in excess of £175M and counting). The latest figures from the AXA Parliamentary Flooding Event in Westminster show that household insurance for homes in high flood risk areas is being subsidised by £511 per year, meaning policyholders are only paying 42% of the true cost of insurance to protect against flooding.
So what next for those who live in those areas deemed to be a high flood risk, and can the inhabitants of towns like Keswick, Cockermouth and Workington seek solace from pledges made by the Coalition Government’s predecessors during a time of biting austerity measures and in light of ‘U turn’ by Nick Clegg on tuition fees?
Evidence obtained from the Environment Agency suggests that with nearly half (47%) of households and businesses in flood hit areas taking steps to protect their own properties, many have little faith in the authorities to provide effective flood defence schemes anytime soon. As a result, a quarter of these households and businesses are taking it upon themselves to make permanent structural changes to their properties.
Aside from the worries of being insured at a reasonable rate, those who live in flood risk areas feel they need support from the insurance industry or from Government grants to help bear the significant costs involved in making a property flood resistant. There is a clear need for unbiased professional advice on what measures are best to take, as many builders do not seem to understand how to make a property flood resistant/resilient and are unfamiliar with the products now available – back-flow valves, waterproof concretes, plasters etc.
With this in mind, it is clear that many people who have been personally effected by the 2009 floods have little faith in a large scale, cohesive response by the Government. As we head into the New Year only time will tell what the future holds for people who live in flood risk areas.
