More than 20,000 homes in North Somerset are at significant risk of flooding, according to a new report by the Environment Agency.

The report reveals that North Somerset is the second place at most risk of flooding in the whole of the South West with 20, 415 properties at risk.

The figures reveal one in three properties in the area could go under water as climate change increases coastal erosion and a rise in river levels.

A map published by the agency highlights areas such as Weston Bay, Uphill, Sand Bay, Brean Down and Kewstoke at risk of flooding from rivers or the sea without defences.

In the northern sector of the district, areas such as Clevedon, Kenn, Tickenham and Kingston Seymour are also under threat from flooding.

The district of Sedgemoor comes in seventh in the league table of top 10 places in the South West susceptible to flooding, with an estimated 8,092 properties at risk.

The report comes accompanied with a call from the agency for spending on flooding defences in the region to rise to £1billion by 2035.

Since 2002, £377m has been spent, including the £29m seafront defences in Weston which are due to be finished by the end of next year and will protect 4,500 properties from coastal flooding.

The Environment Agency has also spent £3m in Clevedon at Marshall’s Bank and the Land Yeo Outfall to install better sea defences along the sea wall to protect 3,000 homes.

And in the Sedgemoor area, £30m will be spent in the next five years to improve protection for 1,400 homes. The report follows on from the Pitt Review done after the devastating floods of 2007. The review highlighted areas at risk of flooding and the need for investment in defences.

Environment Agency chiefs have said the figures are a stark reminder of the risk to properties in the region.

South West Environment Agency regional director Richard Creswell said: “These projections remind us of the choices we face in ensuring a sustainable future for our fragile planet.

“A failure to cut greenhouse gas emissions will lead to a battle for survival for mankind and many other species across the globe by the end of this century; and we will feel the effects here in the UK too.

“The latest UK climate change data shows the risk of flooding and coastal erosion will continue to increase in future due to rising sea levels and more frequent and heavy storms, and there are important decisions for us all to take about how to manage these risks to protect people and businesses.”

North Somerset Council deputy leader, Councillor Elfan Ap Rees, backed the calls for more investment in flood defences across the district.

Mr Ap Rees said: “Any future government will have to make funds available to tackle the threat of flooding.”

Story on the This is Bristol website