Environment Agency chairman Chris Smith said this week that Britain must become far more resilient to the dangers of flooding.
Apparently, one in every five days in Britain brought flooding last year, and His Lordship reckons that urgent action is needed to help us all to “prepare and adapt”.
One of the most vital resources that comes into play during times of flooding is the use of one’s age-old ‘flood plain’.
That’s the piece of common ground that looks like a meadow during the summer but a lake during the winter.
The flood plain was put there to protect our homes. However, it’s now included on maps where the government, local councils and house building companies plan on erecting ‘Legoland’.
Such decisions regarding planning applications will, as Chris so rightly says, encourage more of us to “prepare” for wet carpets… and for insurance companies to “adapt” their policy conditions accordingly.
Above: ‘Halifax Five-O’
