Tensions are growing between insurers, the Environment Agency and councils, over who should take responsibility for protection against floods.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has said that people whose houses are at risk of flooding should get flood-proof doors, in case flood defences such as embankments are overcome.
However, the Environment Agency has criticised the insurance industry over how homes are restored following flood damage. Instead of simply repairing flooded homes back to their original states, the Environment Agency says insurance companies should make the properties more flood-proof when they are rebuilt, to protect against future damage.
Meanwhile, local councils are unhappy with the Environment Agency, as well as wanting more money and control from the government over flood funding.
Paul Cobbing, CEO of the National Flood Forum, a charity, said: “Why are we rebuilding homes back to the same standard and in the same way? Why can’t we be building houses better? Insurance companies say it’s not their job to improve properties, but you wouldn’t put your house back together to 1930s standards, would you?
“We should be reducing risk with rebuilding. Insurance companies need to be more flexible. Small things, like installing different cavity wall insulation and plug sockets, would reduce costs for everyone.”
A spokesperson for the ABI said: “The primary role of insurers after a flood is to help get people and businesses back on their feet.
“They work hard to encourage action to reduce the likely impact of future floods – by increasing consumer understanding of flood risk, urging the government to invest consistently in flood defences and by supporting effective property-level resistance and resilience measures.
“Work is already under way to consider how common standards could be applied to these measures so their impact can more easily be assessed, and we are working very productively with the government and Environment Agency on this issue.”