Stopping the floods - time to think out of the box

I hope all the reservoirs are to capacity now. It would be unfortunate to face drought in the Summer after this.

Write your comments here...poetic justice if they run out of Adam'sAle in London and the SE.Happen we could sell them some of our spare -at the reight money mind!

Pontoons have been fitted to some mobile homes on the banks of the River Seven at Evesham after the big floods,

But then it has been a problem with flooding in York for centuries, and millions spent to try to improve the defences,and if the local agencies had got there act together in the past,there would have been a backup plan to cover the failure of the pumps on the Foss barrier ,which has caused most of the problem this time,

Ps our water comes from chalk aquifers

There were similar problems on the Severn due to flood water overwhelming pumping stations, the Tewkesbury area has been under threat again. Not good for a lot of people.

Outside the box? Building on floodplains has become almost neccessary in some places as there are no aternative places to build - so build houses that will rise with the flood water.

Last year in Yalding (Kent) there were static caravans that did exactly that as they had been flooded before. The owners designed large polystyrene tpye pontoons under the caravans. Worked a treat. Still messy when the waters receded, but thier homes were saved.

Write your comments here...oh the delights of the SE! Give me wide open spaces, a proper garden to call my own and some solitude! Agree about flood plains though!

The Romans and Medieval English were brighter than today's architects and planners. In 2007 we drove home in the dry along the Fosse Way when all around was flooded in the Cotswolds! And how often do you see a church or Cathedral on an island surrounded by flood water? Admittedly there are a few million more to protect nowadays. 

21st Century Man? Capable of flying to moon and back, blasting someone to smithereens from 2000 miles away, but can't protect our own homes from flooding!

If houses have to be built on the flood plain, they should be built to 'rise with the tide' or so that the water can go underneath.

I feel sorry for the folk in ground floor flats, nowhere to run

TDA, the Fosse Way does flood in places, even the Romans had problems. 

So  - if we, as a nation, cannot prevent flooding on the scale recently seen may we know the name(s) of those who deemed the currently ineffective levels of protection to be sufficient.

I understand that committees in the past have pontificated on the necessary levels.  What thick idiots they were!

The majority of "committees" in the past involved in flood defence, have said that it is not possible to predict, with our ever changing weather patterns to accurately plan where to improve protection against flooding, and areas most at risk are prioritised, with the the information supplied by environment agency and local professionals, it was stated on an interview a couple of days ago, that properties will have be made flood resistant in the future as flood protection in one area normally later just moves the problem elsewhere

It's a matter of balance. Any defensive scheme is based on probability/cost ratio. Chuck enough cash at it and you can have a bulletproof system but is that realistic and are we prepared to pay for something that may never be needed? Recent rainfall has been unprecedented. The question is do we or should we plan for anticipated or unprecedented.