Going under?

Who could forget 2007's graphic photographs of towns and cities submerged, people desperately trying to salvage possessions from the wreckage of their homes and queuing for water?

Billed as the worst in modern British history, recent floods left over a third of a million people without drinking water; nearly 50,000 without power; thousands homeless; and caused more than £2 billion worth of damage. They demonstrated that our flood defences are not a complete solution, and, as much of the flooding came from drains rather than rivers, it's clear that our existing urban drainage systems can't cope with high volumes of water.

The Government has pledged an extra £200 million for flood defence work over the next three years. A significant proportion should be spent on sustainable solutions for flooding. Every piece of land, whether in town or in the country, can play its part in absorbing and storing water, reducing the risks of catastrophic flooding such as we experienced in 2007.

The floods of 2007 highlight the urgent need to adapt now for a future where climate change will bring more extreme weather events.