MP calls for better home insurance flood protection

Wednesday, 12 January 2011

The chair of the government's environment select committee, Anne McIntosh, has called on Whitehall and the home insurance industry to work harder and ensure that flood-risk homes remain protected despite a cut in flood defence funding.

According to Ms McIntosh, more than five million home insurance customers are at risk of flooding in the UK and some 500,000 are at a particularly high risk.

Ms McIntosh told the Financial Times that the insurance industry is only willing to maintain its flood-cover-as-standard stance if the government vows to invest in flood defences.

She told the news provider: "The Association of British Insurers (ABI) is obviously playing hardball.

"I can understand their frustration - the last government promised to get spending up to £1 billion a year by 2012, but we have found out that it was money they didn't have."

She concluded that the government needs to come to an agreement with the home insurance industry quickly.

Other things that are not always covered as standard on home contents insurance policies include excess gifts acquired at Christmas, according to the ABI.

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