The government has been urged to do more to future-proof national critical infrastructure against “cascading risks” from climate change.

MPs who sit on the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy suggest that UK’s poor climate adaptation poses a threat to national security.

They said: “Buckling train lines, flooding of major infrastructure sites, landslides and power outages are all realistic outcomes.

“They may also happen simultaneously, causing multiple cascading effects across different infrastructure sectors.

“The scale of the challenge facing Government, operators and regulators is clear: there is an urgent need to adapt our infrastructure to the potentially rapid effects of climate change.”

The report recommends the development of resilience standards and stress tests that address the effects of climate change in the short, medium and long term.

The committee also urged the Prime Minister to establish a Minister of State for Critical National Infrastructure Resilience within the Cabinet Office.

Professor Dessai, from the Sustainability Research Institute in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds, said: “This report shows how the impacts of changing climate on critical national infrastructure pose a major threat to the UK’s national security and prosperity.

“Worryingly, the inquiry found a lack of ownership of this topic in central government.