27 January 2024 , 22:36
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Firefighters now spend a record amount of time dealing with flooding.
Last year they tackled 17,834 incidents – a 10-year high and equal to nearly 50 a day. More and more towns are being hit by rising water levels and a succession of storms such as Babet, which deluged 2,200 homes in October. As a result, firefighters being called to save people and animals and pump out properties want more cash.
Matt Wrack, of the Fire Brigades Union, said: “The Government must fund the fire service for flood response. Shockingly, fire and rescue services in England still don’t have a statutory duty to plan and respond to floods. Instead, we have had more than a decade of cuts, with one in five jobs lost since 2010.”
The National Audit Office says 5.7million properties are at risk of flooding because of rising temperatures, sea levels and more extreme weather. In a report, it says: “This, when combined with other factors such as more housing development, will increase flooding risks if mitigating actions are not taken.”
Mike Childs, from Friends of the Earth, said: “The Government must do more.”
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The Home Office said: “We are ensuring fire services have the resources they need, including for flooding.”