Homes 'still at flooding risk'
Thousands of homes across the country are at risk of flooding again if the government does not take urgent action, councils have warned.
The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in England, has warned homes are just as much at risk now as in 2007, when floods damaged 50,000 homes.
Paul Bettison, chairman of the LGA's environment board, said: "One of the key problems in 2007 was surface water flooding caused by poorly maintained drains and this is still the case today.
"The problem councils face is that in a single street, responsibility for maintaining the drains might be shared between lots of different people such as landlords, homeowners, water companies and the Environment Agency.
"This means nobody has ultimate responsibility for keeping a comprehensive plan of who owns what or who is responsible for what."
The LGA wants new legislation outlining who is responsible for what and increased investment to build a better drainage system.
Part of the problem is a shortage in engineers and planners who could undertake the work, the LGA added.
Utility companies must also play their part and co-operate more with councils now - ahead of a statutory duty coming into force next year, the association added.
Insurers have warned that without investment in flood defences, some houses will be uninsurable, after the 2007 floods cost the insurance industry more than £3 billion.
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