The current debate on the water industry needs to be more balanced, with more focus given to important issues such as affordability and flooding, according to Richard Flint, chief executive of Bradford-based Yorkshire Water.

In a speech delivered this week at the Water 10 conference, at the Royal Geographical Society, Mr Flint outlined his thoughts on the future of the water industry and in particular the new challenges facing water companies and priority issues for Yorkshire.

He said: “More balance is needed in the current debate on the industry.

“Much of the focus has been on water supply, around issues such as water trading and competition, and while these things are important, we also need to talk more about how we will deal with flooding and other climate change risks.

“Flooding can have a catastrophic personal, social and economic impact and we know that people in our region want us to do more about this issue.”

While the Flood and Water Management Act had gone some way to addressing these issues, significant concerns remained about funding not only for surface water management planning but also for land drainage and flood protection.