Climate change and the UK flood risk

Increased rainfall in certain areas of the UK will lead to more severe floods and put emergency services under extra pressure in terms of how long it takes them to respond.

In normal weather conditions, 84% of the UK population can be reached by ambulance in 7 minutes. Scientists predict that with increased floods the number will drop; particularly in rural areas with the elderly being most at risk. Urban areas are also likely to be affected more. An example of this is on the referendum day in 2016 where a storm left large areas of London with surface water. Approximately 450 incidents were tackled; which was 3 times the amount attended the previous day.

The main risk is due to the unknown change in the UK climate - how frequent these floods will become and which areas will suffer most.

For more information on this report, check out the following article:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52710224