We've been on the web of course having a look at potential houses, now
of course being where it is, quite a lot of those are on the Fens (We
are looking for a country property). On the face of it potentially, an
area prone to flooding, however, in the recent floods, it's somewhere
that I remember having a lot of problems, presumably, because of the
nature of the place, the drainage etc. systems are already in place to
deal with it -to an extent anyway.

NFU Mutual are the insurers you will probably end up with cos they
know about the countryside, do not panic at sight of the environment
agency map and put up their premiums to scare you off. I'd speak to
them about any houses you are interested in.

I would think that (in general) the Fens is well prepared for water,
with good flood defences in place. The places which have suffered from
recent flooding problems have been those where acres of farmland have
been covered in concrete

The other way is to look yourself for any small rises in the ground that
might indicate a reduced risk.

And as a rule of thumb, the oldest houses will be built on the prime
spots so now is the time to buy an ancient hovel with lots of DIY
potential and there are lots of them out in the Fens

Anna


~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England
|""""| ~ Plaster conservation and lime plaster repair
/ ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc
|____| www.kettlenet.co.uk 01359 230642