ENVIRONMENT chiefs have been branded irresponsible and misleading for failing to show Christchurch's formidable network of flood defences on a new hi-tech flood risk map.

The Environment Agency has spent £30 million on the map, which shows areas that could be effected by extreme flooding as well as highlighting areas protected with flood defences.

In the past decade it has also spent millions beefing up the borough's defences with the Lower Stour Alleviation Scheme, upgrading defences in the Iford Bridge area and installing water tight gates around the Civic Offices.

But while the map reveals that large parts of Christchurch are likely to be submerged in a flood from rivers and the sea, it does not show that these areas are also heavily protected.

A spokesman for the agency explained that only flood defences constructed in the past five years have been included in the plan and added that the map, which will be updated every three months, is still a work in progress.

But incensed Christchurch Borough Councillor Colin Bungey has promised to write to the agency and demand it corrects the errors.

"It is, in my opinion, irresponsible of such an organisation to publish such an inaccurate document that could put a blight on hundreds of properties, cause unwarranted rises in household insurance premiums and in a worst-case scenario, a refusal by insurance companies to offer cover," he said.

Accessed via the internet, the map is designed to give residents more information and allow them to take preventative measures. But it has sparked fears homeowners will face higher insurance premiums if their location is considered high risk.

A spokesman from the Environment Agency said: "We want to provide as much information to people as soon as possible to help them understand if they are at risk and what do to in the event of a flood."

First published: October 13