UK Flood Defences from Flodef The British Isles is surrounded by water and criss-crossed by rivers. It is also legendary for its regular rainfall. Some of the UK is on land reclaimed from the sea, notably parts of East Anglia. So it is obvious that UK flood defences are very important given such natural vulnerability. The UK has a heavy infrastructure of sea and river defences and this is to be expected. Yet floods continue to occur, particularly over the ten years or so from the mid-1990s, despite flood defence spending over centuries and increasing expenditure in recent years. Why? The first answer is climate change. Disputes continue on why climate change has, and is, occurring, but it is now generally accepted that it is here to stay and it contributes to the need for UK flood defences. But there are other issues. We worry about flooding more because we are wealthier than we were. When our properties flood, costs are much higher than before ­ just consider, for instance, how many CDs and DVDs we own and multiply that figure by their cost. Look at the electronic items we own. Think about how much it costs to repair even a small defect in a property and consider how much it costs when flooding ruins the floors, walls, floor coverings and decorations. Where will we stay when repairs are carried out? If we lose a lot of money in a flood in the UK who will pay? Is it fair that the owner pays? Well, perhaps it is ­ we have had the luxury in the UK of universal flood insurance, something that much of the rest of the world doesn't have. We have in most of our lifetimes had a government department or agency (currently the Environment Agency) that has the role of constructing and maintaining sea and river defences - local authorities are usually (not always) responsible for maintaining the rest. This has led most of us to a feeling that it is someone else's problem. Nevertheless the legal position has always been that a property owner is responsible for defending his property against flood ­ and the flood defence status quo in the UK may be changing to reflect that responsibility. Insurers are now taking a realistic view of flooding prospects and adjusting their premiums and excesses (residuals) accordingly, so it may be the owner who pays. UK flood defence budgets, far from being increased in a time of increased flooding have actually been reduced in July 2006. Is that fair? Well, what can the government do about increased extreme weather, which triggers many floods? Not much, certainly in the short term. So maybe we are coming to a time when owners ought seriously to be considering defending their property from flood. So where can property owners go for advice? Flodef is one of the best property flood defence companies in the world. It tries harder than just about anyone else to invent and develop products that protect property from flood and it continues to invest to bring more products to property owners. If you are serious about protecting your property from flood than call Flodef and ask for a survey.