[ ABI renews flood bill call ]

The Association of British Insurers has renewed its call for a floods bill following the publication of a damning government report on flooding. Stephen Haddrill, the ABI's director general, said the move is necessary to clarify and improve flood management.

His comments follow the publication of an Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee report on flooding, published last Thursday, which slammed the management of surface water flood risk as "unclear and chaotic".

Mr. Haddrill said: "Despite the devastation and tragedy of last summer's floods, the UK remains ill prepared for coping with such a major catastrophe. As the committee recommends, the government should review the adequacy of its current flood spending plans.

"We need a floods bill in the forthcoming Queen's Speech to clarify flood management responsibility, and to ensure we effectively manage the risk. The problem of surface water flooding highlighted in the report cannot be tackled until such a bill is in place. This would need to give the Environment Agency strategic responsibility for tackling all sources of flooding, and give local authorities power and additional money to develop local surface water management plans to upgrade drainage systems," he concluded.

Originally published 8 may 2008 - www.postonline.co.uk