Areas of Bradford could be abandoned to floods as the cost of protection spirals, a conference was told yesterday.

Delegates heard that by the year 2080 more than 25,000 people could be at risk.

The conference at Valley Parade was held to discuss the results of an investigation which was prompted by the devastating floods of November 2000, which left a trail of destruction along the Aire Valley in Skipton, Keighley, Bingley, Baildon, Esholt and Apperley Bridge.

In the wake of the inquiry looking into how water is managed across the district, Bradford Council has pledged £240,000 to tackle problems in drainage systems.

And it has promised to take a lead role in getting local authorities, agencies and property owners together to combat the effects of climate change.

The final results of the independent inquiry into the way water, including rivers, watercourses, drainage and sewage, is managed in the district were unveiled yesterday.

Professor Richard Ashley, of Sheffield University, who chaired the inquiry, said partnership was crucial between agencies involved in water management, including Bradford Council, Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency.

"There are no very simple information sources which set out for the public who is responsible," he said. "Quite often, property owners themselves are responsible."

He said 13,500 people in the Bradford district were at risk from river flooding and 2,000 from overflowing urban watercourses, local flooding and sewerage, at a cost of £9.1million.

By 2080 this could reach 24,500 and 3,500 respectively and cost the district £18 million.

He said the spiralling cost of flooding could see some properties and areas abandoned as the cost of protecting them outweighed their value.

The water management summit at which the report was launched follows publication of ten recommendations which are already being put into practice.

These include the establishment of a group to provide more communication between bodies which deal with water management and the creation of local flood action plans, created and managed by residents in flood-affected areas.

The summit also heard from Keighley TV weatherman Paul Hudson who said the district was likely to suffer bouts of extreme drought and extreme rainfall in the years to come.

These drastic changes in weather, because of climate change and pollution, would cause more flooding in the future, he said.

Council leader Margaret Eaton said: "Reducing the potential for flood incidents and reducing their effects is a corporate priority for us. From day one the Council has started to learn from this inquiry."