Erosion victims should get compensation
OFFICIALS have welcomed a move to consider compensating homeowners who lose their properties to coastal erosion.
It comes after the new head of the Environment Agency suggested residents should be "rehoused at the taxpayer's expense".
Lord Smith of Finsbury said the Agency faced hard choices over which areas could be defended and which would have to be left unprotected.
The Environment Agency is currently drawing up projections of where sea erosion will do most damage over the next five, 25, 50 and 100 years.
He said: "This is the most difficult issue we are going to face as an agency.
"We know the sea is eating away at the coast in quite a number of places, primarily – but not totally exclusively – on the east and south coasts.
"We are almost certainly not going to be able to defend every bit of coast.
"It would simply be an impossible task both in financial terms and engineering terms."
He also said ministers could no longer rely on insurance companies to cover families who lost their homes, suggesting they would have to be rehoused at the taxpayers' expense.
He said: "We need to start having a serious discussion with the Government about what options can be put in place.
"We will begin to talk with communities where we think defence is not a viable option."
His comments were today welcomed by officials at East Riding Council.
Councillor Jonathan Owen, portfolio holder for Policy, Performance and Local Strategic Partnership, said: "For years we have been saying families who are losing their homes to the sea should have compensation paid to some degree.
"Now this is being backed by Lord Smith, head of the Environment Agency, and I hope the Government listens to what he has to say."
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by Cracky Chan, The Hull
Wednesday, August 20 2008, 10:28PM
“Hey look do these people who live near the cliff edge care what happens on the estates in Hull? Why not offer them a free house on one of these estates instead of paying them "compo"”
by LIZZIE, East Riding of Yorkshire
Wednesday, August 20 2008, 8:58PM
“Not everyone living (now) close to the cliff edge where expecting to be in that position when they bought their properties. Surely the Local Councils and Government departments have some responsibility for their predicament. We had floods last year, the residents expected to be compensated by the Government and Local Authorities. What is the difference? Property is Property, Homes are Homes.”
by Josi, East Yorks
Tuesday, August 19 2008, 8:55PM
“Acctually Pete five adults live in this coastal home, between us we have clocked up 180 years of paying tax and national insurance, we have lost one large campsite, a static caravan site and a restaurant and two thirds of our farmhouse, three are past retirement age but still work and none of us have ever lived from state handouts.”
by Josi, East Yorks
Tuesday, August 19 2008, 8:39PM
“No I don't know them all Pete, I suppose there will be some scroungers! I can only say that all the people I personally am aquainted with along the coast (some all the way down to Brighton) have all been hard working people all their lives mainly in the holiday trade, but you are right not everyone deserves compensation.”
by Pete, Hull
Tuesday, August 19 2008, 8:16PM
“Jo, can we take it that you know all those people from Whitby down to the Norfolk Broads are all hard working. If so what do you do travel all day talking to them, and be living on state benefits while you do”
by Pete, Hull
Tuesday, August 19 2008, 8:13PM
“Jo of East Yorks. Can we take it that all those on the cliff tops have worked all their lives and they are not sat on a sofa watching telly and living on state benefits.”
by Jo, east yorks
Tuesday, August 19 2008, 3:19PM
“Why it is assumed that people who live along the coast are not taxpayers, THEY ARE they pay for people who cannot be bothered to go to work for a living, and lay on the sofa whatching mindless rubbish on TV all day, and people on every other type of state benefit, they don't all winge about it. What on earth do you suppose taxes are for?”
by mally dawson, west hull
Tuesday, August 19 2008, 2:54PM
“we've known about coastal erosion for a long time(at least 50 years )so why should we the tax payer fork out for their stupidity,'if they have been in the property for 40 years or more that,s a different thing but if they bought the property in the last 20 years then they get what they've asked for”
by Danielle, Work
Tuesday, August 19 2008, 12:18PM
“Lisa, Hull - Are you Lisa, Hull or Linsey, Hull? You have left two of the exact same comments in two different names! Do you not know your name? Or are you pretending to be someone you're not?”
by PJMaybe, Brough
Tuesday, August 19 2008, 12:10PM
“It fell into the sea?”