Pandemic and coastal flooding 'biggest threats' to UK

As part of a new "national security strategy" unveiled today, Prime Minister Gordon Brown also revealed that the Government would publish, for the first time, a list of the risks faced by the UK, including possible numbers of fatalities in a range of disasters.

Mr Brown said the "national register of risks" would be openly published later in the year so the public could see "the challenges we face and the levels of threat we have assessed."

The 'National Security Strategy' paper said that in terms of civil emergencies, the highest threat currently faced by Britain was an influenza-type pandemic, which could kill between 50,000 and 750,000 people in the UK. The report added that both the timing and impact of such a pandemic were "impossible to predict exactly".

The second-highest risk was from coastal flooding on the scale of the 1953 East Coast floods which claimed 300 lives. The paper said: "Even with today's improved defences, a repeat of coastal or tidal flooding on that scale could result in the flooding of hundreds of thousands of properties, and the need to evacuate and shelter hundreds of thousands of people."

Other risks highlighted in today's paper included other forms of infectious disease, river flooding and extreme weather related events linked to climate change.

Public domain

Gordon Brown also announced today that members of the public would be able to join a new form of civil defence network to protect Britain against natural disasters and terrorism.

The network - likened to a new breed of "air raid precautions" or "ARP" wardens seen during the Second World War - would team up to build the country's resilience to catastrophe.

According to a Government spokesman, the new risk register will be updated annually and may be made available online.

"The Prime Minister's intention is that the maximum amount of information should be in the public domain. The intention would not be to alarm," he said.

A similar risk register already exists in secret, and is used for planning purposes in Government. Work will be carried out in the next few months to produce a version for public consumption, the spokesman said.

Today's document also highlighted the importance of the Government planning for other threats to the country, including nuclear attack, international crime and cyber attacks.

The 'National Security Strategy' paper can be downloaded from the Cabinet Office website here.