Simple actions to help protect homes in England from flooding are still being ignored by government, MPs say.

According to the BBC,  the Commons environment committee said ministers were not addressing what it called the fragmented, inefficient and ineffective flood management.

Areas of concern include flood impact home insurance, building rules and local authority planning decisions.

The government rejected the criticism, saying it had accepted many previous suggestions on flooding from the MPs. 

The committee’s comments are the latest in a running tussle between MPs and the environment department Defra.

The MPs admit that flooding has risen up the government's priority list, and say “considerable work” on flooding is being done across Whitehall. But they complain that ministers are still ignoring reasonable demands.

Jim Fitzpatrick MP, acting chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (Efra), said: "People living in areas of flood risk need to be reassured that the government is acting to improve our disjointed flood management system.

“Defra has failed to give sufficient justification for its rejection of our recommendations for important new measures.”

The MPs also want changes to insurance rules so householders who have been flooded can get insurance help to make their homes flood-proof in future.

They say developers who increase flood risk by breaching planning conditions should be obliged to compensate homeowners.

In addition, the report says local councils should be forced to publish annual summaries of planning decisions they approve against Environment Agency flood advice.

For more on this story go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-38721486

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