More than 200k properties 'at risk of flooding'

Flooding affected Guildford earlier this year

More than 200,000 properties in the South East are at risk of flooding, according to figures from the Environment Agency.

The warning has been raised to mark Flood Action Week, which coincides with the first anniversary of Storm Babet hitting the UK.

The agency, which said the 18 months leading up to February 2024 were the wettest on record, is urging homeowners to sign up for flood warnings on its website and make sure they have a plan should they be hit.

The warning comes as flood alerts were issued in parts of Surrey, Sussex and Kent on Tuesday.

Affected areas included the Rivers Eden and Eden Brook, the River Mole, Lower River Wey, Chertsey Bourne, Hoe Stream, Upper River Wey, River Blackwater and the Cove Brook.

Caroline Douglass, executive director of flood and coastal risk management at the Environment Agency, said: “Climate change means extreme weather events are happening more frequently, and we have already seen an unusually wet September this year.

Hastings has also been affected affected by serious flooding

“We can’t always predict where the rain will fall or where flooding will occur, but we do know which areas are at risk."

Around 2,150 properties were flooded during Storm Babet, which came after the wettest three-day period in England and Wales since 1891.

Floods minister Emma Hardy said: “Flooding can be a destructive force that puts everything in life on hold.

"I’ve seen the impact first hand and am determined to ensure as much as possible others do not.

“Through the recent launch of our Floods Resilience Taskforce, this government is taking decisive action to accelerate the development of flood defences and bolster the nation’s resilience to extreme weather."

Environment Agency data shows the number of properties across the South East at risk of flooding as:

• East Sussex - 30,416

• West Sussex - 25,862

• Kent - 79,594

• Surrey - 69,984

The agency has a website on which householders can check the long term flood risk of their properties.