On the Floods

LABOUR IGNORES LESSONS OF FLOODS AT BRITAIN'S PERIL

No doubting what the Express thinks of the flood situation.

"Thousands of families have been left devastated by the floods. Health risks
are rising, with drinking water potentially contaminated by sewage. And yet
still the Government presses on with plans to build new homes on flood plains –
and that despite a report warning that there will be dire consequences should
Labour hike building targets in the South-east.Does this Government actually
wish to make matters worse? For a start, there is increasing evidence that more
could have been done to prevent the terrible damage wrought by the still rising
waters by getting flood defences in place faster. Second, the Environment Agency
forward planning budget has been cut, and while the Daily Express would usually
welcome trimming the bloated apparatus that is Whitehall, such an act is
madness. And finally, the Government is pressing ahead with plans to build
millions more new homes in an area of the country that is already stretched to
breaking point.Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has said “lessons have been
learned” from this week’s disaster, the standard phrase trotted out by cabinet
ministers when they haven’t a clue what to do next. In actual fact, it looks as
if lessons are going to be totally ignored. Heaven help Britain in the years
ahead."

I am not sure that I am in total agreement about the first two points,the rainfall after all was highly unusual and even if greater creedence had been given to the forecasts,it's unlikely that the flooding would have been avoided.But a fair point about building on flood plains

For the Indy though it's all down to global warming,

It's official: the heavier rainfall in Britain is being caused by climate change, a major new scientific study will reveal this week, as the country reels from summer downpours of unprecedented ferocity.
More intense rainstorms across parts of the northern hemisphere are being generated by man-made global warming, the study has established for the first time ­ an effect which has long been predicted but never before proved.
The study's findings will be all the more dramatic for being disclosed as Britain struggles to recover from the phenomenal drenching of the past few days, during which more than a month's worth of rain fell in a few hours in some places, and floods forced thousands from their homes.

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