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New online flood check launched

The environment agency today launched an online system that allows people to check which areas of England and Wales are in danger of suffering from floods. The maps are available via the environment agency website, and also give an indication of floodplain areas.

Despite the severity of the recent storms, new research from the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) claims, rather surprisingly, that over 50% of people who live in flood risk areas are still not aware that their property may be at risk from flooding. The research also found that although people are fairly well informed as to how they should protect their homes from flooding, less than 10% had actually taken the appropriate measures.

If publicised properly, the website and flood risk maps should help to further raise awareness of this issue. Sir John Harman, Chairman of the Environment Agency said, "A few weeks ago, we were still in the grip of some of the worst flooding seen in over 50 years. No one who went through those events will ever forget the experience. It is still the case, however, that millions of others do not recognise that the misery experienced in Yorkshire, East Sussex, Kent and elsewhere could happen to them. Checking where the flood risks are is a simple first step which could reduce the impact of flooding for many people across the country."

The maps work by entering a postcode or name of a town, the system then returns a map of the surrounding area, with coloured areas indicating areas that carry the risk of flooding, either from rivers or from the sea. The maps let you zoom in or out to get a closer view or broader perspective and also show some interesting things such as river quality and source of discharge into the sea. There are also links to further background information.

Unfortunately, the maps don't give you any indication of how much of a risk is posed to your area, meaning that some people may needlessly be thrown into a bit of a panic. If you are worried by what you see, you can always phone the floodline on 0845 988 11 88.