DAMAGE caused by floods in Britain can be considerably reduced if countries meet their internationally agreed climate targets, a study suggests.

But if the average global temperature reaches 3.3°C above pre-industrial levels, the annual cost to properties and businesses could rise by more than a fifth, researchers from the University of Bristol and flood modelling firm Fathom found.

They found that damage levels can be reined in at just 5 per cent above historical levels, but only if countries around the world honour the pledges they made at the UN climate conference Cop26 in Glasgow.

Lead author Professor Paul Bates said: “The results are a timely warning to the country’s political leaders and business sector that global commitments to significantly reduce carbon emissions must be taken very seriously, and ultimately take effect, in order to mitigate increased losses due to flooding.”

The researchers said official maps, used to inform flood defence investment policy and long-term risk planning, lack transparency and are not peer-reviewed.

They said the methods used to create them are “clouded in secrecy” and unrepeatable, while calls for proper peer review of national flood risk assessments have gone ignored.