The water companies are urging MPs to include a crucial amendment on added to the  Housing and Planning Bill in the House of Lords which will help ensure essential flood prevention measures are put in place at new housing developments.

Water UK, the body which represents all the UK water companies, have urged MPs to support Amendment 110 when it comes back to the Commons, as it will lead to a significant step forward in UK water management and flood resilience.

Amendment 110 relates to Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) - a range of schemes developers can put in place around new homes that better manage the water from heavy rainfall and can prevent flooding.

Water companies across the UK are responsible for managing drains and sewers around people’s homes. The companies support the improvement of surface water management through planning improvements, a rational approach to sewerage connections, and sustainable drainage methods for controlling water flows. Water UK said the companies have an important role to play in providing the infrastructure necessary for new developments while avoiding flooding risk.

There is widespread support for what is proposed in the Amendment, including from the Institute of Civil Engineers, the Chartered Institution of Environmental and Water Management, the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, and the National Flood Forum.

Currently, developers are encouraged through the planning system to install SuDS on new developments. Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) manage drainage in and around properties and other developments, using a mix of natural features and efficient, engineered solutions to mimic natural water management processes. There are different types, but essentially they channel water from buildings and surrounding land into features such as swales and ponds where water can infiltrate the land.

Crucially however, developers retain the legal power to demand a connection to the sewer system to handle water runoff from new homes, meaning there is therefore no effective sanction where sustainable techniques are not implemented.

A wide coalition of interested parties including the Climate Change Adaptation Sub-Committee (a committee of the Climate Change Committee which advises government on climate change risks) considers that the current system does not go far enough to ensure that the best possible use is made of SuDS to protect people’s homes.

Water UK is calling for MPs to support the amendment to remain in the Bill which will help ensure essential flood prevention measures are put in place -  SuDS are among a range of measures that can protect new homes from flooding caused by bad weather. SuDS also help prevent sewers from flooding people’s homes.

Water UK said that removing the automatic right to connect to sewers will ensure that the use of SuDS is considered in relation to all new developments regardless of scale.

The amendment will also ensure that practice in England will be brought into line with current practice in the rest of the UK, which have more extensive SuDS standards or requirements.

Amendment 110 removes the automatic "right to connect" surface water to the public sewer system and will transform the current situation. The new arrangements will allow local planners to require the most appropriate sustainable drainage techniques to be implemented with the assurance that the developer does not have the simple alternative of disposing of surface water via the sewer system.

The amendment was put forward by Baroness Parminter during Report Stage in the Lords on Monday 25 April with support from across the House and was accepted by a large majority.