Watchdog promises crackdown on building in flood-prone areas

Builders and planners face a crackdown on siting new houses in flood plains, after thousands of people were driven from their homes and at least seven were killed in last week's downpours.

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• Extreme weather: Forecasters warn of more to come

Baroness Young, chief executive of the Environment Agency, told The Independent on Sunday that the agency "would not hesitate" to "take stern action" under new powers it has been given against building in flood-prone areas.

The pledge came as Britain braced itself for more torrential rain and floods at the end of the wettest June on record. The Met Office yesterday issued a severe weather warning covering nearly all of England and Wales and forecast rainfall of up to 5cm in some areas.

Five severe flood-risk warnings - indicating a serious threat to life - were in place along the River Don in South Yorkshire, with a further 31 ordinary warnings in the Midlands, East Anglia and the North-east.

Residents of Barton upon Humber in north Lincolnshire were warned of the risk of flooding, as water levels in a local lake became dangerously high. The Environment Agency advised people in Lincolnshire to ring a special phoneline before going to bed last night, to check they would be safe. A flood centre was set up in Worcester to co-ordinate rescue work nationwide in anticipation of further crises.

The Environment Agency reckons that most of the 27,000 homes submerged in last week's deluge are relatively new, among the half of Britain's housing built since the Second World War - covering an area the size of the West Midlands and sited on flood plains. Some 15 per cent of all current development is in the flood zone - as is 30 per cent of the building planned for 2016-2021. The Association of British Insurers has estimated that the houses planned for the Thames Gateway should be built with their living areas on the first floor because of the risk of inundation.