Flooding: Almost 300,000 properties in Wales at risk

Hundreds of thousands of properties are at risk of flooding in Wales - and that figure is set to rocket over the next century.

The current figure is 290,844, but that is set to increase by 34% to 389,731.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) warned maintaining flood defences in some areas could become unaffordable.

But the Welsh government said it continued to fund, strengthen, and maintain them.

NRW predicted having to more than triple flood defence spending to keep up with climate change.

Climate change is bringing wetter, wilder weather, and increased flood-risk means having to continuously spend more on defences, according to NRW's latest assessment.

The report said spending on large flood protection schemes usually made financial sense compared to dealing with damaging floods.

But at a local level it might sometimes be too expensive to build defences.

A total 22,343 properties are currently behind flood defences, which NRW said were uneconomical to invest in over the next 100 years.

NRW said a "game plan" was needed.

This could include flooding farmland to protect property and investing in better warning systems.

Relocating residents should also be considered, NRW believed, despite being costly and politically sensitive.

NRW has not made clear the locations of properties at risk but their flood plan highlighted areas at risk.

Farmer Paul Williams, from Trefriw, Conwy county, said flooding was something landowners lived with, but climate change meant they came more often and lasted longer.

Since the early 2000s he has been part of a local flood alleviation scheme, whereby farmers in Trefriw and Llanrwst are given one-off payments to allow their fields to be flooded during heavy rain.

But the scheme needed looking at again because, he said, the number of floods modelled for 15 years ago had been exceeded.

"It's a constant battle and a costly one," he said.

Woodfield Animal Sanctuary, on the Gower peninsula, was flooded during Christmas week when storm Gerrit struck the UK.

Owner Robbie Bartington said her yard and stables were left a lake.

"Some of the horses were standing in water - our big cobs were up to their knees in it," she said.

NRW's latest report considered four different defences options, from investing to keep up with climate change, to maintaining current funding levels.

The most expensive would need 3.4 times NRW's current flood spending - about £50m a year.

NRW chief executive Clare Pillman said the report would "trigger difficult conversations" about where to focus investment in flood protection.

"Government of all levels, businesses and communities must work together," she said.

The Welsh government said the report had again highlighted "the impact of the climate emergency".

A spokesman said: "No community has been written off and we continue to fund, strengthen, and maintain our flood defence infrastructure in Wales to keep communities safe."