Institution responds to flood investment plans

The Institution's Dr Colin Brown says the plans are not a panacea to UK flood problems.

Dr Colin Brown, Director of Engineering at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said in response to new flood defence plans:

“This announcement is welcome news, but it’s important to note that this is not new money and that these projects are not a panacea to UK flood problems.

“Extreme weather events are likely to occur more frequently in the future which together with rising sea-levels, means the threat of flooding to UK infrastructure is higher than ever.

“In addition to spending to protect existing infrastructure it is vital that the Government introduce tougher regulation that demands all new and existing critical infrastructure are engineered to standards that can withstand the anticipated extreme weather events and sea level rises. Companies, organisations and private land owners cannot solely rely on Government spending tax payers’ money to protect their assets.

 “The flood prevention plans announced today do not mean we will not face flood problems again, and it is unlikely that society will be prepared to bear the cost of a fully resilient country. There needs to be an honest dialogue with the public that future-proofing our country against heavy rainfall, increased storms, rising sea-levels and higher temperatures, comes with substantial associated up-front costs. In some cases they may wish not to pay this, but instead accept periods of reduced service from infrastructure during periods of weather or sea-level related disruption.”

An Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ survey of 2,000 members of the public earlier this year found that almost 75% of people think the UK needs to invest in new flood defences – but only 30% said they would be willing to pay for them.