Storm Dennis: Financial aid offered to flood-hit communities as more rain forecast

New flood relief funds labelled ‘desperate PR exercise’ as PM fails to show face in flood-hit regions

After several communities in the UK experienced their worst flooding in 200 years, owners of flood-stricken homes will be offered up to £500 and a council tax exemption, the communities secretary has announced.

Four people lost their lives and nearly 1,500 homes have been submerged as a result of Storm Dennis, with more heavy rain forecast and warnings of possible flooding in more than 320 locations as of Tuesday night, in six areas posing a “danger to life”.

Residents in the Shropshire towns of Ironbridge and Bridgnorth were urged to evacuate their properties, while residents in Bewdley near Kidderminster were warned that flood barriers at Beales Corner might not be able to withstand the rising water levels.

Some homeowners and businesses will be able to seek three months of relief from council tax and business rates respectively as they start to salvage their properties, Robert Jenrick said late on Tuesday.

On top of the £500 hardship relief for individual households, businesses and homes will be eligible to apply for up to £5,000 to help make properties more resilient to future flooding, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said.

“Storms Dennis and Ciara have severely impacted a large number of households and businesses – and I recognise how destabilising this can be,” Mr Jenrick said.

He claimed the new measures – which only apply to those living in district or unitary authorities that have 25 or more flooded households – will “help people in the worst-hit areas to recover and get back on their feet as soon as possible”.

But Labour alleged the announcement was “a desperate PR exercise”, as Boris Johnson faced anger and ridicule for failing to visit flood-hit areas, which he had done – albeit after several days – when floods struck during the general election campaign.

“After days of inaction, ministers are now finally lurching slowly into action," said shadow environment secretary Luke Pollard. “With the prime minister nowhere to be seen and calls to convene Cobra to help communities flooded again ignored, this smacks of being a desperate PR exercise.”

Mr Jenrick also announced that the cross-Whitehall Flood Recovery Taskforce would convene this week, bringing together environment, businesses and transport ministers to provide flood-stricken areas with support and guidance.

The £500 community recovery grant to individual households will be paid to local councils by the MHCLG, while the £2,500 business recovery grant will come from the Department for Business and will be paid to businesses who cannot recover flood damage costs from insurance.

The extra cash for flood-hit areas comes after the government activated the emergency Bellwin scheme, both after Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis.

Under the scheme, local authorities dealing with the flooding can apply to have 100 per cent of their eligible costs reimbursed by the Government after putting on rest centres and temporary accommodation, or to pay staff for overtime.

The Environment Agency is urging people to check the latest safety advice, with further heavy rain expected to fall on areas already affected by the wet weather later this week.

The agency said it has more than 900 staff on the ground operating flood defences and temporary pumps, clearing debris from rivers, inspecting flood defences and supporting affected communities.

Operational teams have put up more than 6km of temporary flood barriers across the country and flood defences have protected nearly 25,000 properties from the impacts of Storm Dennis, said an agency spokesman.

Dr Michael Byrne, a lecturer in climate science at the University of St Andrews, has warned that future storms will bring more rain due to climate change.

“When they come, they bring more rain, 100 per cent for certain, because of climate change,” he said on Monday.

Additional reporting by Press Association