NEW powers for police to seize the homes of flood victims were passed by MPs without a single vote of opposition last night.

The Government's Civil Contingencies Bill - which ranks flooding alongside a terrorist attack, a huge oil spill or the outbreak of war -s cleared the Commons with 271 votes to 0.

Measures include banning public access to sensitive sites, evacuating affected areas, deploying the armed forces, and banning public gatherings.

Property could be seized and a state of emergency declared if, for example, flooding was putting lives at risk.

Worcester and villages across the county have suffered severe flooding in recent years.

Judith Robbins, whose home on Hylton Road, Worcester, is threatened by flooding, said the inclusion of flooding alongside terrorist attacks struck her as being very strange.

"We all know what to do in the case of flooding because we have been through it," said Mrs Robbins.

"I don't see what they would do differently by seizing the house."

The Bill defines an emergency as "an event or situation which threatens serious damage to human welfare, the environment or the security of the United Kingdom or a place in the United Kingdom".

The original definition of an emergency, including "political, administrative or economic stability" was watered down amid warnings it could allow a government to act to preserve itself.

Home Office Minister Hazel Blears said the measures were needed to bring contingency planning into the 21st century.

The present systems were put in place in 1920 and 1948 and did not cover essential aspects of modern life such as computers and telecommunications networks, she told MPs.

She said that "robust safeguards" had been put in place to ensure the balance was struck between the need to be able to take swift action and the need for scrutiny.

MPs rejected Tory proposals for the formation of an emergency volunteer force and a body to take charge of keeping the public informed of the threats the nation faced.

The Bill now passes to the House of Lords.