More than 50,000 extra homes and businesses in Yorkshire are to receive free flood warnings from the Environment Agency.
From the end of this month, 56,000 Yorkshire properties with a landline which are at high to medium risk of river or sea flooding but not currently registered with the Environment Agency will receive a free flood warning.
At present, 22,700 Yorkshire properties at risk of river or sea flooding are registered with the Environment Agency’s warning service.
The Environment Agency is sending letters out next week to all additional homes and businesses which are to be automatically signed up. Subscribers can choose to opt out of this service but the Environment Agency is urging everyone to check its website for more information about preparing for the risk of flooding.
“The new extended service will benefit thousands of people across Yorkshire who currently are not taking advantage of our free warnings,” said Environment Agency regional flood and coastal risk manager Phil Younge.
“We would still urge anyone whose property is at risk of flooding to sign up to Floodline Warnings Direct, which also is free and offers additional benefits.”
The extended service will add a total of 500,000 properties nationally, doubling the number which currently receive free flood warnings from the Environment Agency to almost one million.
The extension of the Environment Agency’s flood warning service was one of the key recommendations from the independent Pitt Review into the summer 2007 floods. The Environment Agency is also continuing to expand the number of areas in the country that are eligible for its free flood warning service.
Environment Agency chairman Lord Chris Smith said: “Last November’s devastating events in Cumbria remind us of the dangers of flooding and how being prepared is crucial.
“One in six homes in England and Wales are at risk of flooding. We urge everyone to check whether their property is at risk by visiting the Environment Agency’s website and taking steps to prepare, such as looking at ways to make properties more resistant to floods.
“By automatically signing up an extra 500,000 homes and businesses, we will more than double the number on our system to almost one million, giving more people vital time to get prepared for flooding, and by doing so, protecting lives and property.”
Properties in a flood risk area may be eligible for Floodline Warnings Direct, which gives householders and businesses additional ways of receiving a free warning – by text, email, pager or fax, as well as or instead of a landline call. A second nominated person, such as a carer, friend or relative, also can receive the warning.
