THE threat of flooding is still being ignored by hundreds of thousands of home and business owners across the region.

The warning came from the Environment Agency, which said that about 262,000 properties in the North-East were at risk from potential flood damage.

It said much work had been done to tackle the danger, but pointed to a number of severe weather events in 2005 which showed that serious floods were no longer a "once-in-a-lifetime event".

Last January, a storm front devastated Carlisle, but also left hundreds of properties in the North-East flooded and many without water or power for days.

Then, in June, flash floods hit parts of North Yorkshire after a month's rainfall fell in just one hour.

Insurers said the cost would run into tens of millions, while the bill for repairing roads and bridges topped £5m.

Ged Lee, the Environment Agency's regional flood risk manager, said the agency's research showed that, despite these events, people were still complacent in flood-risk areas.

He said the agency offered a free flood warning service to 80 per cent of the North-East's flood risk areas, yet only seven per cent of people knew it existed.

He said: "Serious floods are no longer a once-in-a-lifetime event. People living in areas at risk need to be prepared day in, day out."

The agency said it was pleased that, during last year's devastation, a number of river defences held firm.

This included the £10m River Gaunless flood defence scheme, a 15-metre high dam, which has helped protect hundreds of people in the towns of South Church and West Auckland, County Durham.

l Free advice on flooding can be found either by calling the Environment Agency's Floodline on 0845 988 1188 or by visiting www.environment-agency. gov.uk