Urban areas host 80% of England’s homes at high risk of flooding, study finds

Flooding in York city centre. Areas such as Thurrock, Basildon, Bootle and Sefton ranked top for having the highest proportion of at-risk homes. Photograph: Lindsey Parnaby/EPA

Eight in 10 of the homes that are at high risk of flooding in England are now in towns and cities, according to analysis by the National Housing Federation (NHF), which said social housing tenants are disproportionately vulnerable to the financial cost.

Research found that 839,000 homes in urban areas are now classed as being at high risk of surface water flooding, a threefold increase since 2018.