New AXA UK research reveals areas of England most vulnerable to extreme weather

• In-depth study creates a heat map of England showing areas most vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather, against the backdrop of ambitious UK Government housebuilding targets

• More than half (52%) of people polled said their homes weren’t equipped to deal with the impact of flooding or extreme heat, a lesser-known risk that can cause cracking and subsidence

• AXA UK claims data provides insight into future cost of flooding – homes most at risk face financial costs of at least £818m by 2055

New research by AXA UK highlights the areas of England most vulnerable to climate risks posed by extreme weather, with more than half of those polled admitting they would be ill-equipped to deal with flooding or heat damage to their homes.

The in-depth study, combining publicly available information with claims data from AXA UK’s home and business premises insurance businesses, is a comprehensive piece of research undertaken to address the growing concern of the effects of climate change on properties across the country.

These findings reveal the climate risks which may pose challenges to the Labour Government's ambitious target of building 1.5m homes before the next Parliament.

The report identifies the areas of England where homes are most vulnerable to risks from extreme weather, with London coming top of the table for both flooding and heat. Sheffield residents are at high risk for flooding but not heat and Bristol and Birmingham homes are vulnerable to heat but not flooding.

AXA UK’s research also offers critical analysis and actionable recommendations for the UK Government to achieve its housebuilding targets by identifying the areas most and least at risk of extreme weather.

The ‘Extreme weather risks: An analysis of England's vulnerability to flooding and heat’ report was produced in partnership with research consultancy Public First and provides a climate risk index of areas most vulnerable to the combined risks of flooding and extreme heat. The index takes into account socioeconomic vulnerabilities that make some places better placed to prepare, respond and recover to extreme weather than others.

Economic modelling estimates the national and regional costs of flooding for the most at-risk properties in England while a poll* examines the public’s key concerns and perception of the issues.

“We know that behind every headline about extreme weather is a human story, and at AXA UK we want to protect our customers from the impact of climate change and help them prepare for the future.

“This report maps out areas in England most at risk from flooding and extreme heat and calculates the associated costs, enabling decision makers to identify where future resources should be targeted and where urgent investment is needed.

“We support the Government’s ambitious housebuilding target but believe we must ensure existing homes are resilient and future-proofed, and new properties are not built in flood-prone areas. This is crucial to protect our future for generations to come.” Tara Foley, CEO of AXA UK & Ireland.

The key findings of the report are:

• Flooding is perceived to be the greatest risk in the next 10 years by 55% of those polled, followed by severe storms (48%) and rising sea levels (47%).

• London is most vulnerable to combined climate risks of flooding and extreme heat.

• Coastal areas of the East Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber, as well as areas in the Southeast and London, are most vulnerable to flood risks.

• Homes and businesses in England with the highest chance of flooding face at least £818m in financial costs by 2055.

• Despite admitting having concerns about climate-related property damage, more than half (52%) of those polled said they would be unprepared to deal with the impacts of flooding or extreme heat on their property.

• Nearly half (48%) of those polled said they had never checked if their home insurance covered them for the effects of extreme heat, which can cause cracking and subsidence.

Following publication of the report, AXA UK is making several recommendations to the UK Government, including calling for the appointment of a Minister for Resilience to focus on these critical issues. Other key recommendations are avoiding building homes in high flood risk areas and encouraging and supporting home and business owners to protect their properties against flooding and heat damage.

*Public First conducted an online poll of 2,003 UK adults from 11-17 September.

About AXA UK

AXA Insurance UK plc registered in England and Wales under registered number 078950 and authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority under Financial Conduct Authority registration number 202312. Registered office is 20 Gracechurch Street, London, EC3V 0BG.

AXA UK is part of the AXA Group, a worldwide leader in insurance and asset management, with 147,000 employees serving 94 million clients in 50 countries. In 2023, IFRS revenues amounted to Euro 102.7 billion and underlying earnings to Euro 7.6 billion. AXA had Euro 844 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2023. In the UK & Ireland, AXA operates through a number of business units including: AXA Insurance, AXA Health and AXA Ireland. AXA UK & Ireland employs around 10,000 staff.

About Public First

Public First is a policy, strategy and opinion research consultancy. We combine public opinion expertise with deep knowledge of the policy landscape to deliver data-rich, coherent policy arguments that are ready to implement and politically feasible. Public First is a company partner of the Market Research Society and members of the British Polling Council.