According to the Environment Agency, Winters have become much wetter over the past few decades.

The very long range forecast is that, by 2080, heavy winter rain will become more frequent in the UK and there may be a significant rise in Sea levels around the South East of England.

This could be bad news if you are one of the six million people living on the flood plains of England and Wales.

Fortunately, the majority of these properties are protected to the minimum Government standard as outlined by the Department of Environment, Flood and Rural Affairs, and others are already scheduled to see improvements in flood defences to meet those standards by 2007.

However, there are some UK locations where the risk of flooding is exceptionally high and where there are no plans to improve flood defences.

If you live in one of these areas you may find it increasingly difficult to obtain flood insurance protection.

As the financial impact of a flood at a property without insurance protection could be severe, it is valuable for home/business owners aware of ways to make their properties more insurable.

As insurers consider risks on an individual basis, they will look more favorably upon a home/business owner who has been pro-active in preventing flood damage to his/her property.

This may be done by the use of temporary floodwater protection products like barriers, floodboards and airbrick covers. Once fixed, they offer a far better solution if the need arises than traditional sandbags.

For more information, go to