Floods Cause Fleet Chaos

 £2.5m worth of damage was caused to fleet vehicles as result of the one of the wettest periods of weather in UK history.

The fleet industry is still recovering and coming to terms with the vicious downpours and floods that inflicted widespread damage and chaos on Britain's roads and research has found that flood-related claims for fleet vehicles over the winter period increased by a staggering 250% compared to last year.

The Met Office also revealed that the UK suffered the wettest winter since national records began in 1910, while separate records held for England and Wales also show the heaviest rainfall since they were started in 1766.

Speaking about the winter chaos and its impact on the UK's fleet industry, Matthew Dyer, Commercial Director of LeasePlan UK, said: “Organisations will undoubtedly suffer from these unexpected costs, especially since many fleets have only third-party fire and theft cover in place, which makes the financial implications even more worrying.

“Driver training and effective preparation would help to mitigate the impact on fleets and subsequently the people and businesses that rely on them.”
According to the The AA, the recovery firm attended 4,382 flood-stricken vehicles since the beginning of December while the RAC deployed its SOS 4x4 team to the worst-hit areas and has reportedly attended 553 ‘ditched or bogged’ fleet vehicles since the beginning of the year.

RAC spokesman Simon Williams, added: “This has not been the greatest start to the new year with many fleets across the country being brought to a standstill because of the dreadful weather.”

Figures show 517.6mm of rain fell in the UK between December 1 and February 24, which compares with an average winter rainfall of 330.4mm between 1981 and 2010.
Regional records have also been beaten, with the flood-hit south east of England getting well over double the rainfall expected in a normal winter.