British insurance industry devising flood guidelines

Telegraph (UK): The Association of British Insurers (ABI) is working on a set of flood-prevention guidelines for all newly built properties put up for sale. The trade body for underwriters expects the measures to be incorporated into new buildings, although, coming at a time of a depressed housing market, they could pile further pressure on to the ailing housebuilding industry.

However, the ABI insisted that it plans to work with the construction industry, and will approach developers, planners, builders and local authorities to gauge their opinions next month. Stephen Haddrill, director general of the ABI, said that after last year's flooding in the UK that left insurers with at record £3bn bill, such action is needed to enable underwriters to assess flood risk better.

"Adapting to climate change is a major challenge for society," he said. "Taking climate change into account when designing, building and locating new properties will mean that people will be better protected against our increasingly unpredictable weather. "It will also help to ensure that flood insurance remains as widely available as possible."…

Botley Road, Oxford, during the 2007 flood, shot by John Barker, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License