A RETIRED Oxford don fears homeowners who have never been flooded are now being turned down by insurance companies.

Many residents in the worst-hit parts of the city faced problems getting cover for their home after the devastating floods last summer.

But Philip Stewart says he has been unable to get cover for his house in Shirelake Close, near Folly Bridge, even though it has not been flooded in the 30 years since it was built.

And he feared that a flood warning map, put on an Environment Agency website to help residents, was resulting in Oxford homeowners being penalised by insurance companies.

Mr Stewart, who lectured in ecology at St Cross College, said: "At no time in the past 30 years has the level of the river in the city centre come higher than 90 cms below the embankment on the north side of the river.

"The floods have all been on the south side."

But he was, nevertheless, refused cover by the Co-op on grounds of flood risk.

Mr Stewart believes insurance companies have taken to simply using the Environment Agency's Internet flood map of Oxford, which shows large parts of the city facing a one-in-a-100 flood risk.

He said: "It seems to have been drawn up without any proper survey work or anything. The river is the same colour as the flood risk areas so it is difficult to even tell the banks apart from the river.

"It seems very wrong if insurance company assessments are being made on the basis of this map. It seems householders are faced with an anonymous adversary."

The house in Shirelake Close is occupied by the academic's daughter Olivia, who works as a gardener.

Dave Ferguson, for the Environment Agency, said: "Insurance premiums and excesses are solely a matter for insurers. Insurance companies are required to treat our flood maps as a first step in deciding the actual risk.

"But this is supplemented with their own information and other relevant data, including information from the homeowner, before deciding whether to offer insurance.

"The Environment Agency flood maps are the most accurate freely available for England and Wales. However, they are still not accurate enough to show flooding for individual properties."

A detailed flood-mapping study was completed for the city-centre area in 2000.

The outline produced from this study highlights areas with a one per cent chance of flooding. Duncan Bowker, a spokesman for the Co-op, said the company had no obligation to insure the house, near the Thames.

He said under a moratorium drawn up by the Association of British Insurers, householders should be able to rely on their existing insurers to provide cover.

But problems could arise when householders seek alternative insurance.

In Mr Stewart's case, the existing insurance had lapsed.

The Oxford Times earlier highlighted the home insurance difficulties facing hundreds of families in the city.

When we contacted ten leading insurance companies asking whether they would provide building and contents cover for a house in Osney Island, four firms said definitely not, two said probably not and three asked for more detailed information. Only one agreed to provide cover.