Flooding 'costs more than burglary'
Flooding incurs far greater costs for householders than losses from burglary or fire, experts have warned.
But far fewer people have taken steps to protect their homes against flooding than against the other threats, the Environment Agency said.
The average cost of a home flooding is £28,000, compared to £7,300 losses from fire damage and just over £1,000 for a burglary.
Despite the greater costs, a YouGov survey of almost 2,000 people last month found that only 6% of households have taken steps to prepare for flooding, compared to 80% who have installed measures to protect against fire and 54% who have attempted to safeguard their home against burglary.
Environment Agency director of flood and coastal risk Robert Runcie said: "People install alarms in their homes to warn of fire and burglary but surprisingly few people have taken any steps to help safeguard their home against flooding.
"Many people don't even know whether or not they are at flood risk. We can't always stop flooding but we can take a few simple steps to be better prepared and reduce the impact."
And he warned: "A flood is the perfect burglar - it enters your house uninvited and leaves nothing behind except distress and financial hardship."
The Environment Agency is urging home-owners to check their buildings and contents insurance covers flood damage, prepare a flood checklist for use in an emergency and find out how to limit damage to their property by making their home flood-resilient.