Industry News from Yes Insurance

The Environment Agency has declared that it will be watching rivers in the Lake District, North Wales, Cumbria and Gloucestershire following six weeks of persistent wet weather, amid fears that the banks will burst and cause flood damage to local residents.

Flood warnings arrive just three weeks after the Environment Agency issued a statement to homeowners to make sure that their home insurance policy covered flood damage, as its survey revealed that flood damage was up to 30 times more costly than burglary.

Scotland too had seen more than its fair share of rainy weather, with Julian Mayes, a forecaster for MeteoGroup UK, declaring that over 240mm of rain had fallen in Glasgow so far this month, an amount which is more than double December's average.

Speaking to the Associated Press, he explained that although dry spells had been forecast for the run-up to Christmas, the slightest amount of rain could cause widespread flooding.

"The ground is so saturated at the moment that any more rain will run straight down hillsides into the rivers," he explained.

One area that will be particularly concerned is Hereford, where a new road system has yet to be tested by flooding.

Herefordshire Council has sought assurances from the Highways Agency, which designed and built the new roundabout south of the River Wye, that Belmont will be passable to motorists in the event of flooding in Hereford.

Previously, floodwater reached a depth of 5.18 metres, forcing motorists and cyclists off the road as well as causing considerable structural damage in the area.

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