Residents nervous about flood risk, says MP

MPs were told that 1,000 homes have flooded in the county in the past 18 months

An MP said constituents in his county were increasingly "nervous and worried" about inland flooding and appealed to the government to take action.

George Freeman, the Conservative MP for Mid Norfolk, told a debate in Parliament that 1,000 properties in the county have been flooded in the past 18 months "with sewage washing between houses".

He called for housebuilders to be compelled to provide adequate drainage and for more central funding for drainage boards, which manage water levels in inland areas.

Emma Hardy, the parliamentary under-secretary of state for water and flooding, said she took the concerns "very seriously" and a record amount of money was going into flood prevention.

Freeman added that 22 villages in his constituency have suffered serious flooding in the past five years.

George Freeman told MPs that housebuilders should take responsibility if new properties flood

Freeman told MPs internal flooding was no longer a marginal issue in places such as Norfolk, as a combination of climate change and housebuilding had caused it to occur in places where it had not been seen five or six years ago.

"The patient people of Mid Norfolk are getting really impatient with this," he said.

"On behalf of all those people who are very nervous and worried - one constituent was so worried about this that they took their own life - I urge the minister to be bold and brave," he added.

Mr Freeman is working on a parliamentary bill to give homeowners more protection from flooding.

"The only way to make [developers] take this seriously is to say, 'Look if you build and within five or ten years there is significant flooding that never used to happen you're going to be on the hook for upgrading the drains… and doing the repair work'.

"We have to make the directors of those companies say, "I think we'd better upgrade, we'd better do the investment upfront," he said.

Freeman was supported by Steff Aquarone, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk, who said: "We need more homes… but although North Norfolk Council does an excellent job pushing developers as hard as it can, it needs the government to provide it with the legislative teeth to achieve more."

Terry Jermy, the Labour MP for South West Norfolk, called for more funding for local drainage boards, which he said were struggling with old equipment while their pumps use more expensive electricity.

"For every pound that King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council collects in council tax, 43p now goes to internal drawing board levies, which is completely unsustainable," he said

'Record investment'

In February the government committed £2.65bn over two years for flood and coastal erosion risk management, which included the repair and maintenance of existing infrastructure.

Some of the funding has been allocated to Norfolk, as well as funding for internal drainage boards was increased by £16m.

Hardy told the debate the government was "committed to building the homes that the country needs, while maintaining the highest levels of flood protection".

"Inappropriate development should be avoided and where no suitable sites are available developers should ensure development is appropriately flood resilient and resistant," she added.

The number of MPs in this debate showed that flooding has become a major concern in many parts of the country.

Freeman believed the solution lied within giving local councils and other bodies more power and money to deal with flooding pinch points.

The government has strengthened the planning rules when it comes to flood risk and it said it would consider whether further changes were needed.

Hardy said she was listening to the concerns of MPs.