Thousands of homes are planned in parts of Kent liable to flood - but no one knows exactly how many.

The warning has come from the Countryside Alliance which says there is a potential "time bomb" of uninsurable homes.

Figures it has obtained through a Freedom of Information request show that across the south east 273,000 homes are planned in flood plain areas or on sites at risk of flooding. More than 9,300 of them are in Kent.

But the Alliance says that a question mark hangs over how many others there may be. The Alliance says Maidstone, Swale and Gravesend councils were among the authorities unable to say.

The research followed the Government’s admission, last year, that it “does not collect centrally the number of houses planned for construction on flood plains”.

Fifty three local authorities in the south east responded to the Alliance's FoI request. Details from the Kent councils are shown below.

The Alliance, a campaign group which seeks to influence legislation and public policy on countryside matters, says the Government changed planning policy in 2006 to ensure that flood risk is taken into account.

But it says there is a "legacy" of homes planned before the policy changed.

An Alliance spokesman said: "This has a big question mark over it. Councils do not know how many new homes are planned on flood plains. Historical application proposals would have been accepted by councils and would have not been assessed like the newer ones."

*********************************************************************

This is the break-down of responses from Kent councils supplied by the Alliance.Medway: 11,500 homes, 8,050 on flood plains.

Bexley: 3,430 homes, 1,146 on flood plains.

Bromley: 6,756 homes, 133 on flood plains.

Thanet: 1,626 homes, 54 on flood plains.

Tunbridge Wells: 6,000 homes, none on flood plains.

Those councils which did not know whether proposed homes were on flood risk areas:Swale: 3,300 homes.

Gravesend: 9,300 homes.

Maidstone: 10,080 homes.

A spokesman from Gravesham Council said: “The reason we do not know precisely which of the 9,300 new homes identified in the South East Plan for the entire borough is that most of those haven’t been identified (ie there is no planning applications etc).

"We know in very general terms which sites are being considered and some may be in areas of some flood risk. When planning permission is determined this will be done in conjunction with the Environment Agency and under government guidance for development in such areas.

"We wouldn’t put houses in areas which the Environment Agency advised against.”

*********************************************************************

Michelle Nudds, South East Regional Director of the Countryside Alliance said: “There is no point addressing the problem of affordable housing by building houses that are unsustainable because of flooding.

“The Government needs to carry out a full audit of housing proposed for flood risk areas and assess the plans the new policy. Allowing inappropriate development in flood risk areas is wrong whenever the decision was made.

“The alternative is a time-bomb of thousands of un-insurable homes in the South East under constant risk of flooding.”