Residents in basement flats face drowning risk from flash floods, experts say

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy There is a risk people in basement flats could drown in flash floods across the UK, experts have said, amid warnings these weather events will become more frequent due to the climate crisis. A climate policy expert said there was a “real risk” a flash flood could cause people to drown in London after a taskforce warned more needed to be done to prepare for future flooding in the capital. “The risks identified relate to the extent of below-ground dwellings in London and the risk of flash flooding occurring at night when residents are asleep.” The group’s director of policy added: “There are similar dwellings in countless other towns and cities across the UK.” The risk of flooding comes from water running off from the surface into properties, as well as coming up from overwhelmed sewage systems. It also said there needed to be a plan to manage the increasing risk of surface water flooding in London, whose Victorian drainage system was “not designed to cope” with the number of people in the capital and where it was unclear whether residents understood if they were vulnerable to flooding.