The number of homes and businesses at highest risk could rise by 60% by 2035, warns the agency in its five-year strategy

This article is more than 10 years old

This article is more than 10 years old

More than 900,000 homes and businesses in England and Wales could be at the highest risk of flooding by 2035 without increasing investment in defences, the Environment Agency warned today.

The agency said the number of properties at the highest risk of inundation could rise by 60% from current figures of 560,000, as it outlined a new five-year strategy, including plans to protect an extra 200,000 homes and businesses from flood waters.

The Environment Agency is also planning to improve 9,000 miles of waterways, reduce serious pollution incidents by 5% a year and prevent inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding under its plans for 2010 to 2015.

As part of the strategy, the agency aims to support renewable power and other low-carbon technologies – and continue efforts to reduce its own carbon footprint by 30% by 2012.

The Environment Agency said that in the past five years, 156,000 properties had been protected against flooding, while the amount of waste produced by companies it regulated had fallen by 14% since 2005.

Emissions of sulphur, which causes acid rain, and particulates, which cause health problems, had both fallen in the past decade, while otters and salmon had returned to many rivers as the number of pollution incidents fell.

The chief executive, Paul Leinster, said: "Less waste is going to landfill, more properties are protected against flooding, pollution incidents have halved since 2000 and there are more fish and wildlife in lakes and rivers."

But he warned: "Climate change is already affecting the UK and the challenges we face as a result are only going to get tougher and more properties could be at increased flood risk.

"We expect the country's population to grow by 16 million by 2050, adding further pressure on limited water supplies and waste treatment facilities," he added.

The Environment Agency's plans for the next five years include building new flood defences and maintaining existing ones, continuing to restrict development on flood plains and creating new wetland and coastal habitats to prevent flooding, it said at its annual conference today.