Storm Babet: Communities left to tackle flooding after defences are ‘overtopped’ 

Stop building hundreds of acres of new builds with run off from rooves, roads and drives going straight into drains and then directly into rivers. All the loss of green fields means quickening the food poverty and leaving too little land to soak up the water. Often flood defences just push the water downstream until it finds the first place to spread out and flood. These events will become more frequent as our seas warm and take up more moisture so we have to get used to it.

The thing that strikes me about flooding like we've seen in the UK recently, is we have seen historical precedent for catastrophic flooding that has cost lives, yet have only recently invested in automated mass emergency warning systems. The unfortunate thing with flood warnings is that in order to properly understand the flood risk, it is a lot more complex than "the ground is already saturated, expect additional rainfall to cause localized flooding". Soil studies show that some soil types, particularly those heavy with leaf litter, may actually be more prone to flooding when dry, due to the waxy substances found in leaves to slow moisture loss in high temperatures. Surely investment in soil studies in low-lying areas is a sensible idea, as it will help give some indication as to when a flood is more likely in an area based on the soil types found there? It just doesn't seem like this sort of thing has been done. Beyond that, however, while emergency flood warnings may be sufficient to build defenses as and when needed when talking about slow floods, this system doesn't work for flash flooding, where the only sensible option seems to be to recognize those areas more likely to experience flash flooding, and to invest in permanent defenses, and the maintenance of those defenses. After living in the USA for more than a decade, then returning to the UK, I simply don't think the UK has suitably invested in weather event protection or emergency warning systems, and as a result is woefully underprepared for large scale incidents.

And the water will get pollutant due toi the Tories given water companies permission to dump human waste in the water system

Need more trees and flood dams in upland areas. Need to re-meander the smaller tributaries. Slow down the water so it doesn't build up in bottlenecks

The government could not give a toss about us .

My house an the whole street as water upto waist height in stapleford Nottingham

If the UK hadn't been a puppet to USA and joined in with their wars, we would have had money to build bridges over fords and build flood defences. We would not also be paying (also with tax payers money),for so many migrants displaced by USA and the UK in wars around the planet. We would not be suffering a cost of living rise and the possibility of no fuel and electricity this winter as more countries join the BRICS community and will only be able to supply their members in future! Thank you USA, our best buddies that refused to help us in the Falklands and refuse to give us a free trade deal.

Time you guys paid for another tax

orange man bad must be held accountable for this horrific storm ...