More than six million properties in England are in areas that are at risk of flooding, the Climate Change Committee has warned.

A recent report has provided evidence that increasingly hazardous weather conditions in the UK could result in the flooding of 6.3 million properties, as well as causing severe damage to infrastructure systems such as railways and road networks.

In their guidance on adapting to climate-based threats, the Climate Change Committee cautions that the UK is not prepared for the extreme weather conditions which pose a particular threat to vulnerable groups.

In addition to a predicted rise in the number of heat-related deaths over the next 25 years, the report reveals that the economy is also expected to suffer due to climate change, impacting the UK’s performance by up to 7% within the same period.

Baroness Brown, Chair of the Adaptation Committee said: ‘We have seen in the last couple of years that the country is not prepared for the impacts of climate change. […] The threat is greatest for the most vulnerable: we do not have resilient hospitals, schools, or care homes. Public and private institutions alike are unprepared.’

Although the government is due to provide £2.65bn worth of flood defences, the Committee emphasises that the upcoming Spending Review must be used to ensure funding for national adaptation measures is delivered.

‘Ineffective and outdated ways of working within Government are holding back the country’s ability to be future-fit. Is this Government going to face up to the reality of our situation? Failing to act will impact every family and every person in the country’, the Chair of the Adaptation Committee added.

The Committee’s review follows the recent LGA report, Empowering local climate action: advice to government, which called for councils to be given more powers to set climate targets and raise energy standards.