Littering adds to menace 
of flooding

IT is heart-breaking to witness the scenes of utter devastation in the South West of England shown in the media. The outcry from many about the lack of dredging is obviously a moot point especially for areas similar to the Somerset Levels and other places bounded by rivers.

The problems for many areas have been well-documented: concreted areas preventing water soakaway; filling in of ponds on farmland; vast fields with hedges and ditches removed; lack of suitable flood prevention planning and the spending of millions of pounds on bird sanctuaries while rivers silt up.

The list goes on but what has not been mentioned, so far as I can see, is the amount of litter and fly-tipping that goes on that eventually clogs up drains, gullies and ditches. Although I do not live in a flooded area (as yet!) similar to the Levels and others, I fear that rubbish and vandalism may well contribute to such a thing happening.

I have witnessed scenes where dykes have been cleared by farmers only to see later that idiots have thrown car tyres, bags of garden waste, cycles, bits of prams, sanitary ware, in fact anything that they want rid of, into the self-same dykes/ditches.

Litter in the form of sodden takeaway bags and others cover over the road grates preventing water egress; plastic bags flutter in hedgerows along with “doggy bags” (full); cigarette packets, fast food wrappings and/or containers are abundant and paper is everywhere. Next time you leave a motorway, just look at the amount of rubbish cast out of vehicle windows. Unless all this is picked up and those who do it cease doing it, the vast majority of it ends up in drains, ditches, dykes and rivers.

Robert Benchley, the writer, once arrived in Venice and immediately wired a friend saying “Streets flooded, please advise”. Funny as this is, we do not want to have to say the same thing here because of rubbish vandalism.

Use your brains: take it home.

From: Coun Elizabeth Nash (Lab), Leeds City & Hunslet Ward, Leeds City Council.

IT is no use blaming the Environment Agency or making a scapegoat of Lord Chris Smith for the terrible floods in the South West. The EA has, during these last three years, suffered swinging cuts in funding from the Government. Instead of engaging in offensive name calling, Ian Liddell-Grainger MP for Bridgwater and West Somerset should ask his Prime Minster in the House of Commons how much money he has cut from flood protection. If he will not, perhaps some other Member of Parliament will?

For David Cameron to pledge more money now for Somerset, is too little too late. His government has gambled that flooding may not happen and the gamble has not paid off.

However, I have to say that the EA has always been reluctant to dredge rivers because of the effect on wildlife. I recall that, over 10 years ago when I was a member of the EA’s Yorkshire and Humber Regional Flood Defence Committee, and when the River Derwent burst its banks and flooded Malton and Pickering, there were complaints that the river had not been dredged and osiers had been allowed to grow restricting the flow. After being told by another member that dredging was harmful to wildlife my retort was: “Well, I am sure it will be of great comfort to those whose homes are under three feet of water that a creature is having it good on the river bed!”

Any needless destruction of wildlife habitat is reprehensible but the homes of humans must come first. And if a river does flood, it destroys the habitat of animals on the land.

Not all rivers are suitable for dredging, but it is just plain silliness not to dredge those rivers which historically always have been dredged. But dredging just not come cheap and I suspect that, in the case of the River Tone in Somerset, despite a promise to dredge the river, it was a victim of financial cuts.

From: Peter Hyde, Driffield, East Yorkshire.

The main problem with regard to the flooding in the South is that the environment is controlled by townies. They think that the care of wildlife is far more important than the care of humans.

While acknowledging that the rains have been horrendous and far more unusual than anything seen of late, it is clear that watercourses have been neglected for many years, no doubt to save money, that has been wasted abroad.

It is time, do not hold your breath, that those who have neglected the land for so long should step down and let new ideas prevail. Dredging is too late for the current crisis but it must be done to save future hardship.

From: Terry Duncan, Greame Road, Bridlington, East Yorkshire.

NOW that it has been shown the English-based UK Government cannot handle the floods that are devastating large parts of the country, why not invite the experts from the Netherlands to take over the English Environment Agency?

Coffee shop complexity

From: Don Booker MBE, Hall Place, Monk Bretton, Barnsley.

I’M sure Yorkshire Post readers will have noticed how much longer these days it takes to get 
a cup of tea in a self-service café or restaurant.

The reason seems to be the popularity of specialist coffees. There is Cappuccino, Latte, “flat white”, Americano, Espresso, flavoured Latte and Mocha, plus a selection of others.

Then, of course we get speciality teas ranging from English Breakfast to peppermint.

At the Nostell Priory café recently it took nearly 15 minutes to get a “cuppa” because that chap in front wanted four Lattes, all with a sprinkling of chocolate powder.

These special coffees look refreshing, but it is a shame the cup of tea is being pushed to the back of the queue.

The answer seems to be the provision of an extra attendant to keep customers flowing more easily.