We don't need any more barrages, just lay that fat 2@ in th line of any flooding

It's a given that having your house flooded is a royal pain in the , but I can't help compare the attitudes of the Somerset people, who have been flooded for weeks, with the whinging pouty mouthed residents of the Thames valley, who were demanding help from the Army,even before their designer waders had got wet.

It may have escaped their notice that the Army is a tad busy at the moment, and perhaps an appeal to the Navy, who have access to lots of different boats, and are not exactly run of their feet at the moment, might have made a bit more sense. In any case, if you can afford the prices being asked for a riverside Thames property, you surely can stump up 50k to install an effective flood prevention measures on your property. Even Paul Daniels had the foresight to do that!

Sky did a piece today in which they interviewed two complaining women, who were demanding to know just what had been done since the last flooding in January. I would simply have asked the pair of them, just what, if any precautions they, as the homeowners had taken to protect their property.... I suspect the answer is sweet FA!

Oh, and can we have an end to those ridiculous staged photo shoots where posturing politicians in their just bought wellingtons, gaze earnestly into the far distance.

One king Canute was enough, thank you.

I can sympathise with the rich folk bordering the Thames, it can't be nice to have your swimming pool flooded with water.

This was taken from my van, near Bradfield (between Reading & Newbury) on Friday. While many of my customers fall into the "super rich" bracket, many more do not, lots pf Thames' tributaries like the River Pang have overflowed and flooded even council houses, so you don't have to be in the supertax bracket to suffer.

Fattism.

Just because you are sporting a new super lithe physique.

And that's the main issue, but people look for someone to blame, so when you're stood knee deep in water, in your kitchen I bet the first reaction isn't, "Bugger me, it rained loads" more, "Who's fault is this, because it's certainly not mine. Flood plain? Oh we thought they were joking."
Which then leads to politicians trying to be seen to be doing something in an attempt to not get blamed too much, but they just look opportunistic. Which then leads them to spending pot loads of cash when it's going to happen again days later.
As for preventative maintenance, unfortunately, to know if somewhere needs it requires a bloody big deluge of water.

From last year, the water is usually 10/12/15 feet lower than this, but afterwards there was lots of work done in widening/repairing culverts etc.

Anyone who knows me and who recalls the "Dude Where's My Pond" article will know that I am an expert on these kind of things and frankly if I were that person stood where they're standing then I wouldn't be stood where they're standing, especially if they can hear creaking noises.

I entirely agree. And of course, the further we are from: 'it woz god wot did it', then blame will be levied in other directions.

On your further point, while I understand the sentiment, I do think that, if government scientists are consistently making a certain point, one would hope that politicians of whatever party would, in government, look at long-term planning.

That, of course, raises the issue of the connection – or lack thereof – with the public. It would be so welcome to see the end of spin (from whichever party) and serious honesty with the electorate.

It does make you wonder if the Dutch had gone about flood prevention and water management in the same cack-handed, penny-pinching way we had, Amsterdam would probably be the new Atlantis

They had no choice, because places were becoming like Atlantis. They weren't being flooded because of abnormally heavy rain but because the sodding sea was launching an attack. I'm pretty sure our "emergency avalanche fund" (if we have one) doesn't compare with Austria/Switzerland etc.

This country is odd - Whenever we suffer any significant period of wet weather, we flood... Similarly, whenever we suffer a significant period of dry, warm weather, we go into drought/hosepipe ban mode.

Would it be too simple to suggest some sort of drainage/reservoir system is planned and built, where we are able to cope with, and store, any winter rain and then use the excess water in the summer to water our plants and wash our cars, until our hearts are content??....