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."