The risks from surface water flooding are increasing and will continue to increase due to climate change.24 3.4 million properties are at risk of surface water flooding in England.25 The increase in impermeable surfaces—such as driveways—is adding to the 15 Q 52 16 Q 53 17 Q 2; C&AG’s Report, paras 21, 24 18 Qq 52–53 19 Committee of Public Accounts: Managing food risk. 45th report of Session 2019–21, HC 931, February 2021 Para 29 20 Q 12 21 Q 59 22 Qq 11–12 23 Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Ministry of Housing Communities & Local Government, Environment Agency, Review of Policy for Development in areas at food risk, July 2021, section 2.6 24 Q 49 25 C&AG’s Report, Figure 1 12 Resilience to fooding problem.26 In July 2021, parts of London received a month’s rainfall within a couple of hours and more than 1,500 properties suffered from surface water flooding as a result.27 The Agency told us how difficult it is to forecast the precise areas where heavy rain will cause surface water flooding and there is frequently not enough warning of surface water flooding to allow communities to react. Around a third of the schemes in the Agency’s capital programme are to help address surface water flooding.28