Basement Flat Residents ‘At Risk Of Drowning In Floods'

Hundreds evacuated from homes near swelling river banks yesterday

- Zoe Tidman

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.

It comes as three storms battered the UK in a matter of days, with hundreds evacuated from homes near swelling river banks on Monday.

A climate policy expert said there was a “real risk” a flash flood could cause people to drown in London after a task force warned more needed to be done to prepare for future flooding in the capital.

Alastair Chisholm from the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management told The Independent this was also the case across the whole of the UK.

“This risk is not isolated to London,” he said. “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.”