FRIDAY, January 31, 2003 marked the 50th anniversary of the disastrous 1953 East coast floods.

Communities and families the length of the East coast, from the River Tees to the Thames Estuary joined in remembrance of loved ones, friends and neighbours who lost their lives when more than 1,000 miles of coastline were hit by a huge storm surge.

In total 307 people died, 24,000 homes were damaged or destroyed and more than 30,000 people were evacuated in what has been described as the worst national peacetime disaster to hit the UK.

Exceptional weather conditions, coupled with poor telecommunications and the fact that there was no single body responsible for flood warnings, meant that whole communities were given insufficient warning of the advancing flood threat.

Today, more than 734,000 homes and about 70,000 business properties in England and Wales are at risk from coastal flooding. However, according to the Environment Agency, the risk of a disaster on the scale of the 1953 floods has been significantly reduced because of the billions of pounds spent on flood defence and warning systems.

Could it happen again? Liz Cook, the Environment Agency's Flood Awareness Campaign Manager, said: "Understandably, people want to know if this is likely to happen again.

"It is important to recognise that the weather conditions on the fateful night of Saturday, January 31, were very unusual. While surges sweep the coast three or four times a year, they rarely coincide with high tides and bad weather as they did in 1953. People are much better protected than ever before. But we should not be complacent.

"Today we can manage the risk better but we can never eliminate it. The Environment Agency's flooding and advance warning service means people have access to information at their fingertips should the worst happen. If people are worried about flooding they should call the floodline on 0845 988 1188."

The Environment Agency provides flood warnings to people and businesses at risk. For advice, fact sheets, information about flood warning services in local areas and handy guides, call floodline 0845 988 188 (local rate) or online at: www.environmentagency.gov.uk/floodline.