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Make Builders Flood-Proof New Homes, Govt Told

Housing developers should be forced to install flood prevention measures when building new homes in at-risk areas, the Local Government Association has said.

The group, which represents councils in England and Wales, believes protection including raised electrical sockets, sealed floors and wiring above floor level should become a mandatory part of building regulations.

Deputy chairman of the LGA, Councillor Peter Fleming, told Sky News that the Government and the construction industry must "step up to the plate" to stop homes being devastated in future storms.

"These are simple, low cost changes that can easily be made that would actually make a massive difference to people that have been affected by flooding," he added.

An estimated one in six homes in the UK are at risk of flooding, and last winter's floods are believed to have caused damage worth £5bn.

Among those supporting the LGA's proposals is Curry Rivel Primary School in Langport, Somerset, which was flooded for the third time in eight years in February.

The school is now installing flood-proof floors in the hope of mitigating the impact of any future storm.

Headteacher Peter Staddon said: "If they were in place when we were built we wouldn't have flooded, or the flood would have been less extreme and easier to contain."

The Government has said it takes flood prevention extremely seriously and was investing £2.3bn in defences over the next six years.

In response to the LGA's proposals, a spokesman from the Department for Communities and Local Government added: "Since 2004, statutory building regulations guidance has promoted the use of flood resilient construction, and councils can insist on a host of measures to protect new homes against flooding when granting planning permission.

"We will continue to work closely with the industry to see what else can be done to improve flood resilience, but are clear that wrapping the industry in red tape is not the way to build the homes that this country desperately needs."