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Flash floods cause insurance misery
26/06/06
Flash floods in an area of Leytonstone last week have left residents
feeling angry and frustrated, although not particularly surprised.
According to local homeowners, a long-running row between Thames
Water and the council, with neither accepting responsibility for
drains in the area, has meant that flash floods are a common occurrence
in the locality.
Pensioner Kate Donovan told This is Local London: "We know
as soon as it rains we have to run out and push sticks down the
drains, stand in water and try to sweep it away. We even got sandbags
from builders' merchants last time."
The situation is clearly one of great concern for residents, many
of whom are worried by the extra strain it will undoubtedly place
on their budget.
Leck Budahn, a mother living in the area, told the news team: "It
is a big worry because it will have a knock-on effect - our car
insurance and home insurance will go up, and it will be hard to
sell property in the road."
Insurance companies factor in environmental conditions when determining
an individual's premium and consumers living in flood-prone areas
are deemed to be more likely to make a claim, therefore making
their home and car insurance more expensive.
The problem seems unlikely to go away in the immediate future,
however. A spokesman for the council told the website that "drains
are [the] responsibility of Thames Water, not the council",
while the water board said that, while Thames Water maintains the
sewers, cleaners are responsible for clearing the drains.
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