Flooding in the North West

[Eater Sundae]

On tonight's BBC 6 O'clock news there is talk of the river levels being half a metre higher than previous records. That is a lot, especially considering that there have been recent flood defences added - so we can safely assume that the old high levels would have been when the river had flooded into the surrounding area over lower barriers.

 

I wonder if the extra level is all down to more rain than before, or if some of it is due to the new flood barriers keeping the river narrow and pushing the problem onto areas that were previously not at risk. I think that if the latter, then I'd be especially annoyed if I had now been flooded for the first time because of the changes made.

[taxman]

Pity this and the last coalition government slashed funding for flood defences. It didn't help having a climate change sceptic as a previous environment secretary who believed global warming could have positive effects.

 

Annual funding for flood defences was cut by 27% in 2010 and over 300 proposed flood defence plans were scrapped.

 

I'm no expert but it seems to me that prevention is better than cure.

 

Don't build houses near rivers, don't build on flood plains, don't denude uplands of trees, don't tarmac gardens, don't cut back on leaf clearance in Autumn. All obvious common sense stuff.

[Solomon1]

don't denude uplands of trees

 

Funny you should say that!

 

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/13/flooding-public-spending-britain-europe-policies-homes

 

"Under the worst environment secretary Britain has ever suffered, there seems little chance that much of this will change. In November, in response to calls to reforest the hills, Paterson told parliament: "I am absolutely clear that we have a real role to play in helping hill farmers to keep the hills looking as they do"

 

SO many idiots

 

ALL in government

[taxman]

Funny you should say that!

 

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/13/flooding-public-spending-britain-europe-policies-homes

 

"Under the worst environment secretary Britain has ever suffered, there seems little chance that much of this will change. In November, in response to calls to reforest the hills, Paterson told parliament: "I am absolutely clear that we have a real role to play in helping hill farmers to keep the hills looking as they do"

 

SO many idiots

 

ALL in government

 

He was always keener on killing badgers than doing proper work.

 

Oh no, now I'll be outed on Social Media for "bullying" him.

 

If I could swear on SF Owen Paterson would be a complete <Removed> of the first order.

Edited December 8, 2015 by nikki-red
masked swearing

[Hesther]

Isn't this what happened down South last year? Wasn't it flooding areas higher up of the new flood defences?

[Library]

On tonight's BBC 6 O'clock news there is talk of the river levels being half a metre higher than previous records. That is a lot, especially considering that there have been recent flood defences added - so we can safely assume that the old high levels would have been when the river had flooded into the surrounding area over lower barriers.

 

I wonder if the extra level is all down to more rain than before, or if some of it is due to the new flood barriers keeping the river narrow and pushing the problem onto areas that were previously not at risk. I think that if the latter, then I'd be especially annoyed if I had now been flooded for the first time because of the changes made.

 

It was primarily due to record rainfall. The highest 24 hour rainfall total ever recorded in the UK was in the Lake District on Saturday - 340 mm or so (over 13 inches ). This was on top of several days of very heavy rain anyway, so the ground was already saturated. I have heard that north Cumbria has had over a month's worth of rain in less than 48 hours, and it certainly felt like a lot more.

 

Although some of the water inundating Carlisle came over the top of the new defences a lot of it was already over the river banks before it reached those defences. Carlisle is at the confluence of three rivers so there was a lot of water coming in.

 

Another thing to ponder is how much worse, particularly how much quicker and earlier the flooding would have been had the extra defences not been in place.

[Eric Arthur]

Pity this and the last coalition government slashed funding for flood defences. It didn't help having a climate change sceptic as a previous environment secretary who believed global warming could have positive effects.

 

Annual funding for flood defences was cut by 27% in 2010 and over 300 proposed flood defence plans were scrapped.

 

I'm no expert but it seems to me that prevention is better than cure.

 

Don't build houses near rivers, don't build on flood plains, don't denude uplands of trees, don't tarmac gardens, don't cut back on leaf clearance in Autumn. All obvious common sense stuff.

None of your suggestions need funding and it's impossible to plan for or fund defences for extraordinary events.

[I1L2T3]

None of your suggestions need funding and it's impossible to plan for or fund defences for extraordinary events.

 

Its possible to plan for anything.

 

It seems possible that this is the new norm for Cumbria. It has been flooded repeatedly in recent years. So we should plan for it happening again.

[Eric Arthur]

These extraordinary floods aren't being repeated in the same places. You can't plan by building more flood defences.

[I1L2T3]

Carlisle, Cockermouth, Kendal, Eden Valley. Eric.

 

Anyway, today Tim Farron of the LibDems is complaining that government delayed flood defences in Cumbria since 2011.

 

Tim, you were in the government you dingbat.